Your Eternal Flame
by jakxkeiraaddict
Summary: Christmas is only a few days away, and Jak and Keira are stranded out in Haven Forest, in the middle of a blizzard no less. Now it's up to the two of them to protect one another and find their way back to Haven... before it's too late. JakxKeira.
1. Missing

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own zilch from Jak and Daxter. All belongs to Naughty Dog.**

**JKA: So, this is my first real crack at a multi-chapterer. I got inspired to write a winter/Christmas story from listening to "The Tip of The Iceberg" by Owl City, and so here it is. ^_^ Hope you guys like it. Read, review, and enjoy.**

**P.S. For those of you that have me on your author alert, if you got two emails saying this story was posted, it was because I posted it the first time without writing an author's note. :P And THEN I posted it without adding the line thingys. That's what I get for editing this at midnight.**

* * *

**Your Eternal Flame**

**Chapter 1: Missing**

Icy winds billowed through the near-deserted streets of Haven City. Tiny white flakes spiraled down from sluggish purple storm clouds, blanketing the cold metal streets in a thick, powdery layer. Gutters outlining the roofs of buildings housed long, elegant icicles, their translucent forms glittering in the light cast by windows and surrounding establishments.

On the south side of town, Haven's normally-bleak port had been altered drastically by the effects of mid-winter. The murky waters had long-since frozen over into a striking expanse of uniquely black ice, and the towers anchored out in the middle of the solidified lake resembled snow-covered trees after the recent gale.

Near the far-most end of the seaport loop, the unmistakable twenty-foot-tall figure of the Naughty Ottsel bar sign shown like a beacon against its dulled backdrop, its bright orange glow causing the flurry around it to shimmer as if flames were dancing on the little crystals.

Inside the pub, the main room was brimming to capacity as citizens and bar patrons alike sought shelter from the less-than-pleasant weather outdoors. Scampering to and fro across the countertop bordering the back wall were two orange rodents, one dressed in a sharp pair of custom-fit jeans while the other sported a dark green half-shirt and short-shorts.

"Ah, don't you just love the winter, Daxxie?" the female of the duo asked her companion cheerfully, her blonde hair pulled up into a neat ponytail as she mixed a broad array of drinks with practiced ease. "It's always so much livelier in here when it's too cold for anyone to go outside."

"Yeah, great," Daxter replied sarcastically, dashing from one customer seated at the bar to the next in an attempt to keep up with the overwhelming amount of orders. "I'm sure my feet will really appreciate the crowd after they've been worn to the bone."

"Oh, quit complaining, baby," Tess chided lightly, sliding a mug of beer expertly to a waiting client and then starting on the next one. "Where's your holiday spirit?"

"Tessie, Christmas is still three days away," Daxter countered, grabbing an empty glass and bringing it over to his furry girlfriend to refill. "I'm saving up my enthusiasm for when I see a mountain of gifts under the tree, all addressed to none other than Orange Lightning."

"You mean the tree that you still haven't gotten?" Tess reminded him, rolling her eyes as Daxter's expression went blank with surprise.

"Oh, yeah… Well, Jak was in charge of getting it!" the pants-clad ottsel argued, grasping at straws in an effort to cover up his blunder. "And speaking of Jakky-boy, where is he, anyway? He said he'd come help us put up the Christmas decorations this afternoon!"

As if his words were a cue, the automatic doors of the Naughty Ottsel slid open, revealing a very disheveled-looking elf just beyond. The man hurriedly stepped over the threshold, shaking snowflakes out of his blonde/green hair as the entrance clicked shut behind him.

"Damn, it's freezing out there!" Jak huffed, weaving through the throng of patrons and taking a seat on a just-vacated bar stool. "I haven't seen a blizzard like that since the time we went Power Cell hunting on Snowy Mountain."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Daxter grumbled, flopping down on the edge of the bar and massaging his feet. "I had nightmares about never-ending lurker armies popping out of the snow for weeks after that trip."

"Anything to drink, Jak?" Tess called, her hands a near-invisible blur as she worked.

"Something hot, thanks," Jak responded, rubbing his arms in an effort to warm himself with the friction.

"You got it," Tess sang, dragging another mug over to her growing lineup of to-be-filled orders.

"And while she's doing that, I believe you've got a job to do, big guy," Daxter announced, hopping up from his perch and diving behind the counter. He returned a moment later holding a cardboard box twice his size, its confines overflowing with jumbled strands of lights and bi-colored garland. "You're on decorating duty."

"Come on, Dax," Jak groaned, eyeing the over-stuffed box disdainfully. "I'm a warrior, not a slave."

"Hey, you volunteered for this, remember?" Daxter pointed out, smirking as Jak's mouth twisted downwards in a scowl. "And besides, Tessie-boo and I are too busy to do it ourselves, and you're my best friend, so you're helping me out whether you like it or not."

"I didn't know the term 'best friend' could be translated into 'free labor'…" Jak grumbled, taking the container of Christmas décor from Daxter and hauling it over to a surprisingly empty booth along the far wall. He sifted through its contents for a moment, pulling out several strings of colorful bulbs and beginning to disentangle them from one another.

"Thanks, buddy, I owe ya!" Daxter yelled from the bar, where he was still struggling to keep up with the constant flow of demands. "Oh, and the rest is in the back room!"

"The rest?" Jak repeated incredulously; dread prickling along his skin uncomfortably. "What do you mean, 'the rest'?"

Either his partner-in-crime didn't hear him over the general clamor of the 'Ottsel's occupants, or chose to ignore him. Sighing, Jak slipped behind the bar and followed a short hallway to the pub's storage area. As soon as he opened the door, however, he was tempted to turn around and forget he'd ever set foot back there.

Every inch of space inside the room was filled to the brim with large boxes, all labeled "Christmas" on the side in permanent marker. Some were stacked so high on top of one another that Jak would need a ladder to reach them.

Frowning unenthusiastically, Jak strode cautiously over to the nearest cardboard container and ripped the lid open, shaking his head in exasperation when he discovered even more knotted strands of lights, and a giant Santa hat that he assumed was designated for the colossal ottsel mannequin on the roof.

_This is gonna be a _long_ day…_ he thought wearily as he hefted the box off the ground and carried it out to the main room.

* * *

"Finally!" Jak exclaimed, flopping down on an unoccupied bar stool and grabbing the mug of hot chocolate he hadn't had the chance to drink while he'd been working. He took a generous swig, placing the cup back on the counter when he was finished and resting his head in his hand. "Precursors, I've fought armies of Metal Heads and Dark Makers single-handedly that didn't require as much effort as decorating this place does."

"Ha, some hero you are, buddy-boy," Daxter snorted, standing in the center of the bar and admiring Jak's handiwork. "Imagine that, the great Jak, world savior three-times-over and Channeller extraordinaire, gets his arse kicked by plastic reindeer and bushels of mistletoe."

"Hey, I'd like to see you spend half a day putting all this stuff up," Jak snapped, massaging his temple with his fingertips. "It's a lot harder than it looks, mister 'constructive criticism'. Oh, and need I remind you that your 'advice' almost sent me plummeting off the roof?"

"Yeah, but the sleigh was in the _perfect_ place after that!" Daxter argued, grinning as Jak shot him an irritated glare. "By the way, the lights over the mirror are uneven."

Rather than bother to respond, Jak simply took another long gulp of his drink, heaving a sigh of relief as the warm liquid slid down his throat.

The cerulean-eyed elf had spent the majority of the afternoon renovating the Naughty Ottsel to fit the spirit of the season. All around the room, the strings of twinkling bulbs that Jak had finally managed to unravel were draped along the ceiling, and garland adorned the edge of the countertop of the bar. Not a single booth could be seen without a family of little snowmen in the center, and clumps of mistletoe had been placed sporadically across the ceiling as Daxter's idea of a joke.

Outside, the massive orange rodent replica had been garbed in its personal Santa hat and a matching coat, a feat that Jak still wasn't sure how he'd managed to accomplish. In front of the mannequin, a glittering sleigh was attached to a row of nine mechanized reindeer, the one at the lead complete with red nose. Snowflakes were plastered all over the windows, and deep blue icicle lights adorned the border of the roof.

Tess and Daxter had closed down the saloon to the public a few hours previously in order to give Jak plenty of space to work, and by now it was nearly sunset. None of the trio felt compelled to leave the 'Ottsel, however, as the blizzard had begun to really kick in sometime within the last hour, making the heated shelter of the pub more-than-preferable.

"I gotta admit, the place looks pretty snazzy," Daxter mused, settling more comfortably on the surface of the counter and slinging his arm lazily around Tess' shoulders. "Now the only thing left is a tree."

He cast a swift glance in Jak's direction, smiling sweetly at his worn-out childhood friend.

"Hey, Jak, you wanna —"

"Dax, if you want to keep all of your fur I suggest you stop talking right about now," Jak threatened, rolling his eyes good-naturedly at his sidekick.

"Oh, I've got the tree covered, Daxxie," Tess informed him, smiling up at her furry boyfriend. "Keira called about three hours ago and said she'd go out and get one for us."

"Great! That's one less thing to worry about," Daxter concluded cheerfully, leaning his head absentmindedly against the top of Tess'.

"Wait, _three hours_ ago?" Jak echoed incredulously, blinking at the ottsel duo in surprise. "Shouldn't she have been here by now, then?"

"Well, it takes a while to find the perfect tree, big guy," Daxter remarked, straightening up again and studying the Eco-infused elf questioningly.

Jak didn't bother to reply, instead shifting his gaze to the nearest wall thoughtfully. He figured that Daxter had a valid point, especially knowing Keira and her tendency to be a bit particular about things — a trait she'd acquired through her hands-on profession.

But then why was an icy trickle of dread snaking its way down Jak's spine?

"Keira didn't happen to say where she was going, did she?" he inquired hesitantly, returning his attention to the two elf-turned-rodents.

"Haven Forest," Tess answered automatically, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion when she noticed something she'd never imagined could be there flicker across Jak's face: horror. "Why?"

"The _forest_?" Jak repeated, his heart pounding almost painfully in his chest. "Is she _insane_?"

"Jak, what's wrong?" Daxter demanded, tilting his head to one side and eyeing his partner-in-crime with obvious concern. He almost never saw Jak anything even _close_ to afraid, and the anxiety in the latter's eyes instantly set him on edge.

"It's got to be almost sub-zero out there, and she decides _now_ would be a good time to go wandering through the woods?" Jak asked rhetorically, images of Keira buried under six feet of snow flashing through his mind.

Clenching his fists at his sides, Jak leapt to his feet and spun on his heel, striding purposefully towards the main entrance of the 'Ottsel.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Daxter yelled, diving off the bar and racing after his much taller friend.

"I'm going to find Keira," Jak informed him without pausing, his features a mask of grim determination.

"_What_? Have you lost your mind?" Daxter gasped, scampering around to stand in Jak's path so the dark warrior would be forced to stop. "It's a freaking blizzard out there, buddy! You'll freeze!"

"Please, Dax, do you really think a little chill is going to get the best of me?" Jak scoffed, side-stepping the pants-clad rat and continuing his beeline for the door. "Besides, I can't shake the feeling that Keira's in trouble, or she's going to be. I have to make sure she's alright."

"Well, then I'm coming with you!" Daxter insisted, chasing after Jak and attempting to climb up onto his shoulder.

Heaving a sigh, Jak picked up the insistent fur ball by his scruff and placed him on the floor, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry, Dax, but you're staying here," Jak said sternly, ignoring the gasp of outrage from aforementioned ottsel. "I can't risk putting you in danger, too. You're smaller than me, so you wouldn't be able to handle the cold."

"No! No _way_ am I being left behind while my best friend —" Daxter began to protest, until he was rather abruptly cut off when the automatic entrance slid open, allowing a blast of frigid air to pour into the room. A violent shiver wracked Daxter's tiny body, and he dove for cover in the nearest booth, his teeth chattering loudly.

"O-on second thought, maybe you'd better stick this one out alone," he amended, crouching near the fire of a festive candle in the center of the table in an effort to warm up. He met his closest companion's gaze briefly, worry dominating his expression. "Just be careful out there, Jak. Don't forget that just because _you_ think you're invincible doesn't mean that you are."

"I will. Thanks, Dax," Jak assured him, offering him a confident smile. Hitching his jacket more tightly around his shoulders, Jak stepped out into the snowstorm, the doors of the 'Ottsel clicking shut behind him.

The warmth that had lingered on Jak's skin from the building he had just left was instantly diminished by the arctic wind as he plowed through the shin-high snow, heading in the direction of what had once been the Metal Head section of the city during the war almost two years previously. He searched the empty street around him absentmindedly in case there was a zoomer he could hijack, but the lack of citizens brave enough to traverse through the less-than-friendly conditions left him with only his feet as a means of transportation.

_I can't believe she went out to the forest alone, and in _this_ weather,_ Jak thought restlessly, the glacial breeze biting at the exposed skin of his face. _Come on, Keir, you're supposed to be smarter than that._

Sighing, Jak pulled his trusty red scarf up over his nose in a vain attempt to keep his face warm as he trekked through the ever-deepening snow.

* * *

It felt as if an eternity had passed when Jak finally reached the thick metal door that marked the entrance to Haven Forest. By now his long ears and his fingers were sufficiently numb, and his muscles ached from being whipped by the wind.

As soon as the gateway to the airlock opened, Jak stepped hurriedly inside, grateful for the chance to shelter from the harsh storm, no matter how brief. He worked on brushing away the powder that had accumulated on his jacket while he waited for the second door to allow him passage, his thoughts still chasing one another around in his mind.

_What if she's hurt? There's always the chance that there are still Metal Heads out there, after all… Or what if she got lost, and she's wandering around, freezing to death? What if she —_

His apprehensive musings were cut off as the entrance in front of him parted, bringing with it a powerful gust of icy air. Jak exited the comfort of the airlock and emerged within the confines of the forest, realizing for the first time how dark it was becoming. The leafless branches of the trees appeared almost black as the shadows of night set in, and the glittering white flakes that continuously fell from above dulled to a murky gray.

Jak's breath billowed in foggy clouds around his face as he navigated the deathly quiet woods, hardly able to see more than a foot in front of him due to the never-ending sleet blurring his vision. A shiver wracked his powerful frame, and he folded his arms tightly over his chest, wondering idly if his toes had caught frostbite yet.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as the dark warrior travelled, losing track of how far he'd gone as he searched for something, anything to indicate that Keira was alive and unharmed. He'd already followed the curve of the tree line around to the far side of the lake in the center of the forest, and it was now at least thirty minutes behind him. And yet, there was still no sign of his childhood friend.

"Keira?" Jak called over the roar of the wind in his ears, praying that the young mechanic was nearby and would miraculously hear him. "Keira, where are you?"

Silence was all that greeted his words.

His heart plummeting, Jak about-faced and began retracing his steps towards the perimeter of Haven, forgetting the fact that there was little hope he could find his way back in the dead of night, and his footprints would have most likely been covered by fresh layers of powder.

Just as he surrendered to the ache of defeat, however, a low noise reached his sensitive ears, so quiet it was almost lost in the chilly breeze.

"Jak?" an all-too-familiar voice yelled from somewhere in the distance; no normal elf could have heard such a muffled call over the storm.

"Keira?" Jak shouted hopefully, whirling around to face the direction he thought the voice was coming from.

"Jak!" it repeated, its tone more frantic than it had been previously.

Excitement coursing through his veins, Jak took off running, his feet leaving deep imprints in the snow as he followed the sound of Keira's voice through the maze of shadowy trees. He skidded around a pile of icy boulders, and froze mid-stride at the sight that greeted him.

Keira was curled up in a tight ball at the base of the rocks, her slim body trembling violently as her teeth chattered so hard it was a wonder they hadn't shattered. Her teal hair was disheveled, and her pale cheeks glistened with moisture. A large violet bruise had painted itself just above her left eye, and a freshly-healed cut stretched from the base of her ear down to the corner of her mouth. The sleeves of her jacket were torn in places, revealing several more shallow scrapes marring her skin.

As soon as Jak appeared in her field of view, Keira leapt to her feet and threw her arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest as shudders continued to rip through her.

"P-precursors, Jak, I've n-never been so happy to s-s-see you in my l-life!" she cried, her words hardly distinguishable through her shaking.

Despite the fact that he was immensely relieved Keira was safe and in his arms, Jak couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as the she-elf drenched his already chilled jacket with fresh tears. Only about two months earlier, Jak had won the Kras City Grand Championship and saved everyone's lives after falling prey to the late Krew's "poison toast". Jak and Keira had shared their first kiss that day, although they'd had next to no romantic interaction after that. In truth, neither of them really knew how to broach the subject of their relationship, and because of this they'd pretty much reverted back to their comfort zone of simply "best friends".

Of course, neither was happy about this, but both were too embarrassed to do anything to change it.

So, it was safe to say that having Keira pressed up against him as she was made Jak rather uncomfortable.

Attempting to ignore the mental war currently raging in his mind, Jak wound his arms hesitantly around Keira and held her in a secure embrace, noting with alarm that her skin felt just as icy as the stinging air.

"Shh, it's ok, Keir," Jak murmured soothingly, drawing her as close to him as possible in an effort to share some of his body heat.

"I was so scared," she whispered hoarsely, her shivering yet to subside. Another sob tore from her throat, and she squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in the fabric of his jacket.

Jak was about to ask her what had happened that had caused her to be in such a state, and then he remembered the late hour and thought better of it. He knew there was no way they could make it back to Haven in this weather in the dark, and in that case they needed to find shelter — fast.

"Come on, Keira," Jak encouraged her, tightening his hold on her briefly. "We need to find somewhere to spend the night."

The emerald-eyed she-elf nodded mutely, clinging to Jak's side as the latter began heading out in search of somewhere they'd be safe from the clutches of the blizzard.

* * *

**JKA: Well, there's chapter one under the belt. Rest assured, if this seemed to drag, things will get more interesting in later chapters. I plan to have this finished by Christmas, but if my crazy schedule (what with finals this week and such) doesn't allow for that, then it may be a few days afterwards.**

**Remember, reviews are love, people. So please review, or no chapter 2. ^_^ (That's right, MikaHaeli8. I'm gonna be just as demanding as you. XD)**

**Thanks!**


	2. Stranded

**JKA: Alright, well it took longer than I'd expected, but here's chapter two. ^_^ Thanks to the ever-reliable Mika for reviewing, and I hope this chapter is satisfactory. I think it's safe to say that my plan to have this finished by Christmas has offically died and gone to hell, unless I somehow manage to whip the rest of the chapters out in... nine days. But, it will be finished by New Years, that is a garuntee. Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and enjoy. :D**

_Itallics = flashback_

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**Chapter 2: Stranded**

"Are you alright?" Jak asked the sapphire-haired woman beside him, one arm slung awkwardly around her shoulders.

Keira shook her head numbly, leaning up against him as if she were too exhausted to support herself.

The two childhood companions had miraculously managed to find a secluded cave where they could shelter for the night, and Jak had worked to patch up the entrance with snow as soon as they'd arrived to keep the blizzard outside where it belonged. Now, the duo was sitting with their backs pressed against one of the rocky walls, both too uncomfortable to even think about sleeping. Keira's shivering had long-since subsided, although she still refused to allow more than a foot's distance between herself and Jak. Whenever he tried to move farther away from her, panic would flicker in her emerald eyes for reasons unknown to him, and he'd decided that it was best to just play along if his proximity made her feel more secure.

Jak glanced down at Keira, studying her blank expression worriedly. She hadn't spoken a word since they'd taken refuge in the cave, and the fact that he'd never seen her so downcast before had him more than a little on-edge.

A jolt of shock pierced the dark warrior as a single tear rolled down Keira's pale cheek, and she shifted closer to him, her fingers clutching his jacket in a death-grip.

"Keira…" Jak murmured, gently prying her hands loose from their stranglehold and pulling away so he could meet her sorrowful gaze. "What happened to you? How did you end up lost out here?"

For a moment it appeared as if the young mechanic weren't going to answer. She bit her lip hesitantly, breaking away from the intense force of his ocean-blue stare as she attempted to assemble her thoughts.

"I…" she began uncertainly, her sentence trailing away before it had truly started.

"Keira," Jak repeated a little more forcefully, his very limited patience already wearing thin. He mentally reminded himself to keep his temper in check; after all, Keira was the _last_ person he wanted to be irritated with. "If you don't tell me why you're so upset, I can't do anything to help you." He touched the bruise above her eye with the lightest of pressure, frowning when she winced at the contact.

Another heartbeat of silence passed, and then Keira heaved a weary sigh, turning to meet his eyes once more. Jak felt a stab of remorse flood through him when he noticed the fresh tears brimming beneath her endless green orbs, along with the igniting of a simmering anger in the back of his mind. He hated seeing Keira so distraught, and he hoped fiercely that whatever had done this to her was something that would be able to feel his claws shredding it to bits.

"I was so stupid," Keira whispered, her voice scarcely audible and raw from lack of use. "When I offered to get a tree for Tess and Daxter, I didn't even think about the storm… I just wanted to help."

The urge to embrace her tugged at Jak's subconscious, but he suppressed it, knowing that would probably only succeed in making things twice as awkward as they already were. Still, the misery dominating her every feature made him feel as if his heart had cracked right down the middle.

"I didn't run into any trouble on my way out here," Keira continued softly, sliding her gaze to the ground absentmindedly. "In fact, it was actually kind of nice, seeing all the trees covered in snow, and the streams frozen over… But I shouldn't have come out here alone."

She paused, inhaling deeply as if preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"It was an ignorant thing to do, and Precursors know I learned _that _soon enough…"

* * *

_Tiny white crystals spiraled ceaselessly from the dense cloud cover overhead, adding a touch of magic to the forest scenery around the young she-elf. Keira brushed her fingers along icy fern fronds that protruded over the path as she passed them, dusting off the fine powder that had accumulated on their leaves to join the rest of the snow gathered beneath her feet._

_Glancing up at the swirling amethyst sky, Keira laughed brightly as a solitary snowflake landed on the tip of her nose, melting the instant it came into contact with her skin._

_She had called Tess about an hour earlier to ask if they needed any more help with the decorations down at the 'Ottsel. Tess had informed her that Jak pretty much had everything under control, and the only thing they hadn't gotten yet was a tree. So, after Keira had finished up her work in the garage for the day, she'd gone out to Haven Forest to scrounge up a tree for her friends._

It's so beautiful out here_, Keira mused cheerfully, hitching her jacket tighter around her shoulders to keep the chill of the biting wind at bay. _Not to mention it's a nice breath of fresh air. I swear to Mar, I'm going to go insane living in Haven one of these days…

_Heaving a content sigh, Keira continued following the practically non-existent trail through the bare woods, wracking her brains to try and remember where she'd seen pine trees growing the last time she'd been out there._

_Abruptly, she reached a break in the densely-packed foliage, and emerged on the shore of the lake that resided in the center of the forest. An awed gasp escaped her throat as she took in the sight of the ebony expanse, its surface reflecting the darkness of the storm._

_The entire lake had solidified into an endless stretch of ice, a thin layer of snow coating the top in patches. Keira gazed at it in wonder, her eyes widening and her breath catching in her throat._

_"Wow…" she whispered to herself, slowly approaching the frozen water and pausing just at its edge. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she realized that the scene reminded her of Sandover — not in a déjà-vu sense, just the fact that she was witnessing nature at its most spectacular, something she'd thought she'd only find in the little village where she grew up._

_The insatiable curiosity she'd acquired through her years of inventing kicking in, Keira took an experimental step out onto the ice, testing its strength carefully before she placed her full weight on her foot._

* * *

"You walked out onto a frozen lake?" Jak demanded, interrupting Keira's low voice as shock slammed into him full-force. "What were you thinking, Keira? It could have been thin ice for all you knew!"

The image of Keira crashing through a sheet of ice and falling into sub-zero waters flashed unbidden in Jak's mind, and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, thanking whatever higher power that may have been listening that she hadn't become the world's prettiest popsicle.

"I was intrigued, ok?" Keira huffed, some of her old fire returning to her uncharacteristically dim emerald irises. "You would have been, too, if you'd stumbled across an entire lake completely covered in ice."

Her sudden spark of irritation vanished as suddenly as it had flared, and she sighed, letting her eyelids fall shut briefly.

"Of course, my own interest was the reason I ended up stranded out here in the first place…"

* * *

_A broad grin stretched across Keira's face as she strolled cautiously out onto the lake, her feet sliding occasionally on its slick surface. She giggled lightly, ignoring the numbness in her fingers and face as she followed the curve of the shoreline, studying the ice beneath her to see if she could decipher the movements of liquid water under it._

_She was so absorbed in her discovery that she did not notice the subtle rustling in the underbrush to her right, signaling that she was not alone._

_Out of nowhere, a feral roar erupted from somewhere within the shadows of the woods, and a moment later, an indigo streak dashed out onto the solid lake. The sudden appearance startled Keira, and her foot shot out from under her, sending her sprawling onto her back, her head cracking painfully against the ice._

_Propping herself up on her elbows and holding the back of her head gingerly, Keira glanced up to figure out what had scared her, and her heart nearly stopped when she was met a pair of soulless, glowing yellow eyes._

_Jak had told her numerous stories about wasteland Metal Heads, specifically mentioning their massive size and petrifying strength. He'd even compared their stature to the bar sign at the Naughty Ottsel, saying that the desert monsters were at least three times as large as the replica rodent._

_Unfortunately for Keira, she'd never seen a wasteland Metal Head before, so the giant creature that stood before her now was one of the largest and most horrifying things she'd ever witnessed._

_The Metal Head was built like a tank, and had one long horn sprouting from the middle of its face, the ivory gleaming in the light reflected from the snow around it. Its four legs looked like they could easily crush human bone with the least amount of effort, and its skull gem glittered menacingly against its navy skin._

_Another menacing snarl ripped from the Metal Head's chest, and Keira backed away in pure terror, stumbling over her hands — as she was still seated — and skidding on the ice. The Metal Head advanced on her, its horn lowered as if it were aiming to impale her._

_Letting out a panicked scream, Keira leapt to her feet and sprinted away as fast as the less-than-stable ground would allow her, the hammering of her heart drowning out every other sound. Scanning the scenery whipping by her, she spotted the shoreline a few feet to her right and made a mad dash for it, the Metal Head's hot breath on her heels._

* * *

Keira's voice faltered as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek, interrupting her story. After a moment's hesitation, Jak pulled her closer and held her in a loose embrace, allowing her to lean her head against his chest.

"How did you escape?" he asked gently, trying to ignore the electric current that was jolting through his veins at her close proximity.

"I almost didn't," Keira replied under her breath, her words muffled by the fabric of his jacket.

* * *

_A gasp of relief escaped Keira's lips the instant she felt firm earth under her feet, and she pushed herself faster, hoping to lose the Metal Head in the dense cover of the trees. She wove between the towering trunks, her teal hair flying behind her as the heavy footfalls of her pursuer echoed off the otherwise silent woods._

_The young mechanic began to lose track of how long she'd been running, and yet the Metal Head continued to charge after her, its thundering strides never faltering. Her lungs and throat ached as she fought for breath, her legs burning with the exertion._

_Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the ground, and it took her a heartbeat to realize the monster had caught up to her and hooked her jacket on its horn. She didn't even have the chance to build up a scream before she was being flung through the air, the wind _whooshing_ in her ears and the snowflakes that insistently fell from overhead stinging her face and neck._

_For a moment, time seemed to slow, and she felt as if she were suspended in a pool of water, her senses muffled to dull background ambience and her mind a complete blank._

_And then, her body slammed into something cold and hard, and she let out a yelp of pain as she found herself tumbling down a steep slope, coming to an agonizing halt when she crashed into an outcrop of ice-coated boulders._

_She squeezed her eyes shut as her body throbbed where it had been struck, salty moisture spilling down her cheeks._

_In the distance, the roar of the Metal Head resounded once, and then the world succumbed into silence._

_Fearful of moving in case the creature came back to finish her off, Keira curled her knees up to her chest and cried noiselessly, tiny crystals fluttering around her as she finally became aware of the cold in the air._

_One thought flashed through Keira's mind as she lay there, shivering violently — or, more specifically, a name._

Jak…

* * *

As soon as Keira finished speaking, she buried her face in Jak's chest and began sobbing, holding him as if the world would end should she let go.

Jak simply let her soak his jacket with her tears, his arms still wound around her in a slack embrace. Words could not express how relieved he was that he had found her when he did, but warring with that relief was pure, untainted rage. He was angry with not only the Metal Heads for nearly killing one of his closest friends, but with himself for allowing it to happen while he was stuck as Daxter's personal laborer.

"Shh, it's alright, Keir," he muttered soothingly, struggling to keep the fury out of his voice. As much as he wanted to go out and murder every one of those monstrous bastards for hurting Keira, he knew that she needed him more at the moment. "You're safe now."

Several moments of silence passed, in which Keira continued to cry and Jak held her, his thoughts bouncing around frantically in his mind as he tried to come up with something else to say that would make her feel better.

Finally, the sapphire-haired she-elf's weeping subsided, although teardrops continued to pour soundlessly from her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered huskily, her voice cracked and thick from the pressure of her emotions.

"For what?" Jak asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as Keira nestled more comfortably against his chest.

"For coming to find me," Keira elaborated, sniffing quietly. The corner of her mouth twitched as a smile threatened to break out through her tears. "You know, when I was running from that Metal Head and avoiding being eaten alive, I wasn't trying to figure out some ingenious escape plan, or worrying about what would happen if it caught up with me. All I could think about was you."

Jak didn't quite know how to respond to that. He blinked rapidly as his brain tried to absorb this information, his arms tightening unconsciously around Keira.

_She thought about me?_ he repeated to himself, feeling more bewildered by the second. _What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a solid implication for that simple sentence. What reason could she possibly have had for thinking about _him_, of all things, when she was literally within a foot of meeting her death?

Well, whatever the motive behind it was, that didn't change the fact that a pleasant warmth flooded Jak's body in reaction to those words — a situation that only occurred when he was around Keira.

Sensing the awkwardness rolling off of the Eco-infused elf in waves, Keira wisely decided to change the subject.

"Jak?" she inquired hesitantly, fidgeting anxiously in his embrace. "What are we going to do now?"

"We're going back to Haven," he answered immediately, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? But that blizzard's practically escalated into a whiteout!" Keira protested, leaning away from him so she could meet his gaze. "Not to mention we have no idea where we are! How are we supposed to get back?"

"Please, Keira, this is _me_ you're talking to," Jak snorted, flashing her a confident grin. "I'm the guy who saved the world three times in the span of five years, _and_ the Grand Champion of Kras City. I think I can get us through a little snowstorm."

For a moment it appeared as if Keira were about to argue, and then she sighed in defeat, her resolve destroyed by the compelling force of his endless cerulean irises.

"Alright," she surrendered, giggling as his smile shifted from confident to absolutely heroic. "I trust you."

"Good," Jak laughed, ruffling her blue/green hair playfully. "In the meantime, we should probably get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Ok," Keira agreed easily, her less-than-pleasant experiences from earlier that evening having left her thoroughly exhausted. She wriggled out of the circle of Jak's arms and made to move away from him, but Jak grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"We should sleep together," he told her without thinking. Only when her face flushed ten shades of scarlet and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates did he realize what he'd said, and he instantly released her, jerking his hand back as if she'd shocked him.

"N-no, I meant sleep _next to_ each other," he stammered, mentally slapping himself for his stupidity. "We'll stay warmer that way."

Some of the color faded from the young mechanic's cheeks, and she nodded in understanding, scooting closer to him again.

The two of them attempted to find a semi-comfortable position on the stone floor of the cave, avoiding eye-contact with each other due to Jak's brief lapse of unintelligence.

Eventually they settled on both of them lying on their sides, their backs to one another as they were too embarrassed to face the other direction.

"Er, 'night, Keira," Jak muttered, clearing his throat awkwardly and shifting as close to her as possible without actually touching her.

"Good night, Jak," Keira replied softly, her muscles tense as his body heat travelled through the small space separating them to brush against her back.

It was safe to say that neither of them got much sleep that night.

* * *

**JKA: Just in case you were wondering, the Metal Head that Keira ran into was the kind you battle in the forest in Jak II, the ones that look kind of like rhinos.**

**Well, hope you all enjoyed that little filler nonsense. It was a bit shorter than chapter 1, but I can tell you right now that most of the chapters will probably fall somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 words. And I promise, there will be action coming up soon!**

**PLEASE review, or no chapter 3. ^_^**

**Thanks!**


	3. Tensions Running High

**JKA: Phew, FINALLY got this finished! This took way longer than I'd hoped it would. But, hopefully it will be worth the wait. And a big shout-out to MikaHaeli8 for your ever-enjoyable review, judging by your reaction to the last chapter, I have a feeling you'll like the beginning of this one, too. ;) Also big thanks to Fishyicon and everyone else who reviewed, you guys inspire me to keep writing, even if it takes me way longer than it should to do. XD**

**Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and enjoy. :)**

**P.S. Mika, I threw in a little tribute to Marneus, see if you can spot it.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Tensions Running High**

The first thing that managed to seep through the dark haze enveloping Keira's consciousness was the fact that she was strangely warmer than usual. Almost immediately after noting that observation, her ears gradually registered that — apart from a rhythm of deep breathing beside her — it was oddly quiet. She could also sense a chill in the general air around her, and snuggled closer to the source of heat next to her in response to avoid the stinging temperature.

Yawning drowsily, Keira dragged her heavy eyelids open an infinitesimal amount, and immediately found her vision obscured by something gray and ruffled not a foot away from her. She blinked in confusion for a moment, and then she realized the unfamiliar object was Jak's jacket, and that his chest happened to be extremely close to her face.

A faint pink dusted its way across Keira's cheeks as her eyes shot open completely, and she tried to move farther away from Jak. Something kept her in place, however, and her blush darkened a few shades when she became aware of Jak's arms wound securely around her, holding her to him in a rather intimate embrace.

Her breathing becoming rather unsteady due to her embarrassment, Keira attempted half-heartedly to gain some space between herself and her best friend again. The effort only caused Jak to unconsciously tighten his grip on her, and another wave of heat mingled with the redness already burning in her cheeks.

Despite the situation she'd found herself in becoming increasingly awkward by the second, Keira couldn't quite dredge up the desire to remove herself from the circle of Jak's arms. The feel of his warmth soaking into her skin made her heart flutter and a small smile grace her lips.

_And he's sound asleep, so it's not like he'll ever know_, she reasoned with herself, giving up trying to escape and instead scooting closer to him, heaving a content sigh.

Just as she felt herself drifting into unconsciousness again, however, her peaceful moment was abruptly shattered when Jak stirred beside her, signaling that he was waking.

Keira instinctively stiffened against him as he blinked open his eyes, revealing the breathtaking cerulean of his irises. Their gazes met briefly, and Jak smiled lazily down at her, the fog of sleep not quite cleared from his mind.

Suddenly, Jak became aware of the position they were in, and he quickly removed his arms from their hold on Keira's slim frame, pushing himself away from her and scrambling to his feet. He swiftly averted his eyes from her, trying vainly to hide the deep crimson that was rising to color his face.

Neither of them said anything for several minutes, firmly avoiding each other's gazes while tension crackled between them so thickly it could have been cut with a knife.

"So, er… h-how'd you sleep?" Keira asked tentatively, unable to stand the silence any longer. She risked a furtive glance in Jak's direction, and saw that he had his back to her, his fingers curling and uncurling at his sides.

"Fine," he replied shortly, clearing his throat awkwardly. He exhaled loudly, running a hand through his messy blonde/green hair and turning to face the still-blushing she-elf. "Are you ready to get going?"

"Ready when you are," Keira confirmed, hauling herself to her feet and stretching, unwittingly giving Jak a rather pleasant view of her soft curves. Jak shook his head sharply to rid himself of those thoughts. Things were already uncomfortable enough as it was.

The dark warrior adjusted his jacket absentmindedly as Keira strolled up to his side, his sensitive ears twitching as he listened for any unusual sounds outside the shelter of the cave. His blinked once in surprise when he realized the blizzard winds seemed to have subsided, for he could hardly hear anything apart from his and Keira's quiet breathing.

"I think the storm's calmed down," he announced, approaching the snow barrier he'd created the night before in an effort to keep them as warm as possible. Without pausing in his stride, Jak launched himself at the hard-packed flurry, his shoulder easily breaking through and revealing the white-blanketed forest beyond.

Straightening up, Jak brushed the excess powder from his arms nonchalantly, examining the scenery around him. Tiny ice crystals danced on the slight breeze just as they had when he and Keira had first taken refuge in the cave, although now their numbers were far fewer and the air was not quite as biting. Dark clouds churned sluggishly overhead, and his instinct immediately warned him that while the blizzard was at bay for now, it was far from over.

"Wow…" Keira gasped, coming up beside him once more and examining the glittering ivory woods with wide eyes. "It's beautiful this morning."

"Yeah," Jak agreed automatically, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He couldn't help but enjoy the natural serenity just as much as Keira did — a trait they shared from growing up in Sandover.

The hushed peace of the forest was abruptly shattered, however, by a low, almost feral rumble. Keira's hand instantly flew to her abdomen, and Jak glanced down at her, arching one eyebrow skeptically.

"What?" Keira asked innocently, offering him a sheepish grin. "I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon."

"Neither have I, but you don't hear my stomach complaining," Jak joked, heaving a silent sigh of relief that the awkwardness that had sprung up due to their too-close-for-comfort awakening seemed to have diminished — for now, at least.

Keira opened her mouth to fire a retort at him, but her stomach interrupted her with a rather impatient growl.

"You wouldn't happen to have any food, would you?" she inquired hopefully, rubbing the back of her neck to hide her embarrassment — a habit she'd picked up from Jak.

"No, I wasn't exactly thinking about being hungry when I stormed out of the Naughty Ottsel to go save your sorry hide," Jak teased, earning himself an elbow in the ribs. He grinned at his childhood friend for a moment, and then his own words gradually sank into his mind, and his smirk faded into a grim frown. "I guess that means we're going hungry until we get back to Haven."

The young mechanic started and blinked up at him, her own amusement dimming as well. "Huh, I didn't think about that." She perked up again almost immediately, her expression radiating confidence. "Well, that just gives us one more reason to get back as soon as we can."

A soft smile played around the edges of Jak's mouth again, and the lightest of pinks sprinkled across Keira's cheeks in response. She shifted her gaze to the ground, the snow beneath her feet looking extremely interesting all of a sudden.

"What are we doing standing around here, then?" the blonde hero chuckled, Keira's unswayable positive attitude lifting his spirits once more.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Keira shot back playfully, brushing past him and heading deeper into the trees.

Shaking his head in mock-exasperation, Jak followed the teal-haired woman into the crystallized confines of the forest.

_I just hope we're headed the right direction_, he thought idly, shoving his hands in his pockets as his breath billowed in clouds around his face.

* * *

Chatter filled the interior of the Naughty Ottsel, drowning out the holiday music that its furry owner had reluctantly traded his hard rock collection in for. The pub was nearly overflowing with patrons and people seeking refuge from the cold, as it had been the previous day. Daxter had taken up his position of waiter once again, while Tess bounced around behind the counter, both of them working their tails off to keep up with the constant flow of orders.

Well, Tess was hard at work, anyway. Her fuzzy boyfriend, however, was slumped over the edge of the bar, anxiety radiating from his every feature.

"Daxxie, quit lounging around!" Tess scolded, sliding a steaming drink down to a customer seated on a stool at the far end of the room. "You're falling behind!"

"Sorry, sweet cheeks," Daxter sighed, his normally upbeat behavior strangely somber. He made no move to get up despite Tess' insistence, however, and simply stared blankly at the countertop, lost in thought.

Tess, finally detecting the dreariness of her companion's mood, paused in her work and scampered over to him.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked, a concerned frown dragging down her trademark bubbly smile.

"Jak still isn't back yet," Daxter replied monotonously, leaning his head in his hand and refusing to meet her gaze. "And I called up old Log-Nog this morning to see if Keira had made it home. She's still gone, too."

The blonde-haired ottsel's eyes widened with surprise. "What? You mean they've been out all night?"

Daxter nodded grimly, glancing up at the stunned rodent above him. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like Jak's never dropped off the face of the earth before. But he's never been gone this long, and if Keira's still missing too…"

"You don't think something happened to them, do you?" Tess fretted, her sky-blue irises glittering with worry. She may not have been as close to Jak and Keira as Daxter was, but they were still her friends.

"I don't know," Daxter admitted, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "Jakky-boy's got a lot of willpower, I'll give him that, but not many people can survive in weather as nasty as this, especially at night. And it's even less likely that —"

His words were abruptly cut off when the main entrance of the pub burst open, revealing a very windswept and very pissed-looking Freedom League Commander.

"Daxter!" Torn growled, storming across the room without caring if he plowed into anyone or not and halting in front of aforementioned ottsel.

"What do you want, Tattoo-face?" Daxter snapped, leaping up onto the bar beside Tess and scowling at the dreadlocked elf.

"Where the hell is Jak?" Torn demanded, folding his arms over his chest and fixing Daxter with an expression that clearly suggested someone was about to be skinned alive. "I've been trying to contact him since last night! We've got Metal Head movement at the —"

"No one cares about your god-damn problems, Torn!" Daxter snarled, noting with strong satisfaction that the elder man's face heated up at those words. "And for your information, Jak's disappeared. He went out to the forest to find Keira yesterday, and no one's seen them since."

"The _forest_?" Torn repeated, dropping his surly demeanor as he blinked rapidly, stunned. "In _this_ weather? I knew he was insane, but that's just effing suicidal!"

"Listen, ya walking work of art," Daxter hissed, baring his teeth in a very animalistic fashion at the shell-shocked commander. "Jak's not stupid enough to waltz out into a blizzard for no reason. He only did it because Keira was in trouble. What would you have done if it had been Sweet Stripes out there instead?"

Torn winced despite his efforts to look indifferent, and Daxter grinned smugly, knowing he'd struck a nerve.

"Shut the hell up, rat," the tattooed elf growled, fixing his trademark scowl into place in order to hide his momentary display of weakness.

"Calm down, both of you!" Tess interjected, placing her hands on her hips and fixing both males with a glare that had them instantly quieting down for fear of having their heads bashed in with whisky bottles. "Yes, Jak and Keira are missing. But they've both been through far worse than this, haven't they?"

Daxter nodded reluctantly, his instinct telling him it would be in his best interest to agree, while Torn simply flopped down on a vacated bar stool and sulked.

"All we can do now is wait for them to come back," Tess continued, her tone softening as she wound one arm reassuringly around Daxter's waist.

"I guess so," the pants-clad ottsel sighed, losing steam after his argument with Torn. His gaze slid absentmindedly to the floor, a frown tugging at his features. "I should have gone with him…"

"Daxxie, you could have strapped yourself to his shoulder with Precursor metal and he wouldn't have let you come," Tess reminded him, earning a disgruntled huff from her boyfriend.

"I need a drink," Daxter grumbled, removing himself from Tess' semi-embrace and disappearing behind the bar.

"Get me something strong while you're at it, rat," Torn agreed irritably, propping his elbow up on the counter and resting his head in his hand. Although he'd never admit it, he was just as concerned about Jak and Keira as the other two.

Shaking her head sadly, Tess hopped down beside Daxter to get to work on Torn's drink.

* * *

"Precursors, how long have we been walking?" Keira inquired exasperatedly, hugging herself tightly in an effort to retain as much body heat as possible.

"Keira, that's the fifth time you've asked me that," Jak replied testily, his already less-than-stable temper severely shortened due to the fact that he felt like an elfin ice cube. "If I didn't know the first four times, what makes you think I'll know now?"

"Well, _sorry_, mister negativity," Keira scoffed, shooting him an annoyed glare. "Forgive me for not realizing how huge this freaking forest is."

"Complaining about it isn't going to make the trip any shorter," Jak pointed out dryly, resulting in a frustrated growl from the young mechanic.

The two childhood friends had been travelling through Haven Forest for the majority of the morning and well into the afternoon, and by now the snow had begun to fall more densely from the persistent storm clouds overhead. Jak's fingers had long-since gone numb beyond the point of usefulness, and he'd completely lost feeling in his ears. He wouldn't be surprised if icicles started forming on the tips of them within the next half hour.

Of course, neither of the two elves actually knew how much ground they'd covered, or if they were even heading towards the city at all. Everything around them was completely coated in soft flakes and glittering crystals, providing them with no landmarks that could give them some indication as to where they were going.

_If we've just been walking in a circle all day, then Mar dammit I am going to murder every single Metal Head that ever had the nerve to breathe,_ Jak snarled to himself, grinning wickedly as his mind entertained the image of shredding Metal Heads into confetti.

As absorbed as he was in his thoughts, Jak did not realize immediately that Keira had fallen behind him. Only the absence of her winter boots crunching the snow underfoot brought him out of his reverie, and he paused mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder to ask her why she'd stopped.

The instant he turned, however, he found his vision obscured when something hard and extremely cold struck him square in the face.

Brushing the dripping remains of the snowball off his already chilled skin, Jak spotted Keira standing several feet away from him, her hands covering her mouth while her emerald eyes had widened with obvious horror.

"Sorry!" she gasped, her tone just as shocked as her expression. "I was aiming for the back of your head, but then you turned around at the last second and —"

Her apology was rather rudely cut off, however, when a frosty projectile collided with her stomach. Jak smirked triumphantly as bits of crystals splattered all over her, having moved so fast that she could never have hoped to dodge the attack had she seen it coming.

Keira stared blankly at him for a moment, her jaw hanging open incredulously. Eventually she managed to regain her composure, and the disbelief etched into her features shifted into an almost predatory grin.

"Oh, you're in for it now, hero-boy," she growled playfully, kneeling so that she could shape another snowball in her hands.

"So it's war, then, is it?" Jak snickered, bending down to form his own frozen ammunition. "Good, there hasn't been a war yet that I haven't won. Too bad you're fighting for the wrong side."

"We'll see about that," Keira retorted, launching an icy missile at the blonde-haired elf as soon as the words left her mouth. Jak nimbly dodged the assault and fired off his own slush ball, his aim staying true and hitting Keira's face dead-center.

"You should know by now that I always get my revenge," Jak taunted as his closest companion wiped the ice out of her eyes. "_And_ you took a shot to the head; I believe I have killed you."

"It's gonna take a lot more than a little snow to bring me down, Jak Mar!" Keira laughed, abandoning the snowballs altogether and opting instead to charge at him. Chuckling to himself, Jak spun on his heel and sprinted the opposite direction, his unnatural agility allowing him to put a considerable distance in between himself and his pursuer.

The duo raced deeper into the forest, weaving between the tree trunks as Keira chased after Jak. For a moment, the reminder that they were stranded out in the woods was blown clean from their minds, and they were just two best friends having a good time with one another, just as they used to growing up in Sandover, back when things were simpler.

Reality came crashing down on Jak, however, when he returned his attention to the path ahead of him for the first time in several minutes. His eyes widened with shock and his survival instincts kicked into overdrive, causing him to skid to a halt on the very edge of a cliff that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Glancing cautiously over the edge of the precipice, Jak felt icy dread crawl down his spine when he saw what lie beyond the cliff face.

Several feet below where the ground abruptly fell away, a pool of pure Dark Eco bubbled menacingly, the snowflakes that ceaselessly spiraled from overhead disintegrating upon contacting the evil substance.

Pounding footsteps alerted Jak to his surroundings once more, and he turned to see Keira pelting towards him, unaware of the danger ahead of her.

"Keira, stop!" Jak yelled, holding out his hands in order to catch her should she not heed his warning.

At the very last second, Keira spotted the cliff just behind the dark warrior, and instantly dug her heels into the snow in an effort to slow her momentum.

Unfortunately, she'd misjudged the solidness of the powder beneath her due to her haste, and slipped on the unstable surface, plowing into Jak and sending herself ricocheting onto her backside.

Jak, on the other hand, had been knocked off-balance by Keira's collision with him, and stepped backwards instinctively to try and catch himself. Seeing as how he was so close to the edge of the cliff, his foot met only air when he tried to put weight on it, and he let out a startled cry as he plummeted over the side.

"_Jak_!" Keira screamed as her closest friend disappeared from sight.

* * *

**JKA: *gasp* cliffhanger! Sorry guys, I couldn't resist. ^_^ I'm aiming to have chapter 4 up by Christmas (yeah, and Metal Heads will start walking around in tutus :P) so if all goes well you guys won't have to murder me for keeping you in suspense too long.**

**Buuuut, if you don't review, then you will never know what happens. Mwuhahaha. XD**


	4. Impulse

**JKA: Well, I was hoping I'd have this up on Christmas Eve, but I ended up being busier than I thought... Anyway, I'd say this is close enough to Christmas where it counts as meeting my deadline for myself. XD HUGE thanks to Mika, Marneus, littleLaraa, and everyone else who reviewed. You guys ROCK, I'd never expected such a positive response to this story. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 4. Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and happy holidays, everyone. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Impulse **

Fear. An emotion that most are familiar with, have experienced in some form or another. There are those that enjoy it, and those that hate it, although everyone knows and feels it at some point.

However, there are very few who can say they've encountered pure, gut-wrenching horror. The kind of surreal sensation that drives away every rational thought, and completely consumes the world around the one who feels it.

When Jak vanished over the edge of the cliff, his shocked yell piercing the otherwise hushed air like a gunshot… Keira discovered the true meaning of terror.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as the teal-haired she-elf raced over to the precipice, the frantic hammering of her heart drowning out the muffled ambience of the forest. She collapsed onto her hands and knees at the rim of the sharp drop, leaning as far over the side as she dared.

"Jak!" she called desperately, her eyes scanning the impenetrable ebony pool below for something, _anything_ that would reassure her that her best friend was still alive.

Cold, indifferent silence was all that greeted her words.

"No…" she murmured, moisture beginning to brim beneath her emerald irises.

_This is all my fault._ The sentence echoed in her mind with a tone of finality, and she choked back a sob as one solitary tear trickled down her pale cheek.

Suddenly, a highly familiar voice alerted her from what sounded like directly under her feet.

"Keira! Dammit, I'm down here!"

Hardly daring to believe her ears, Keira peered over the edge of the cliff once more, and exhaled in pure relief when she spotted Jak clinging to the side of the rock face by a frozen vine, its roots wedged in between two stones.

"Precursors, would you quit giving me up for dead and help me out?" the blonde hero grunted breathlessly, his arm beginning to burn with the exertion of keeping his one-handed grip on the icy vegetation.

"Help. Right," Keira agreed quickly, hopping to her feet and glancing around for something she could use to haul Jak back onto solid ground. Her shoulders sagged disappointedly when she realized the only thing within easy reach was an endless supply of ivory powder.

Sinking onto her knees again, Keira leaned back over the rim of the precipice, frowning helplessly at her life-long companion.

"Do you think you could climb higher up the vine?" she suggested, biting her lower lip anxiously. "If I could reach you, then I could just pull you over the side."

Jak nodded once and grabbed onto the slick plant with his previously empty hand, his muscles straining as he dragged himself towards safety. He gritted his teeth as his numb fingers struggled to keep their hold, the cold wind biting into his already chilled skin as the ominous sloshing of the Dark Eco below rang in his ears.

Without warning, all the strength in his arms simply gave out, and he lost his grip on the vine. He vaguely heard Keira let out a horrified scream as he plummeted closer to what would be a very slow, harsh demise.

_Hell no!_ Jak growled to himself as the wind _whooshed_ in his ears, smothering every other sound around him. _I've been through too much to let a damn _plant_ be the death of me!_

Regaining his focus at the last possible second, Jak lashed out with his hand and snagged onto the end of the creeping vegetation, stopping his momentum and causing him to collide painfully with the cliff face. He risked a glance beneath him, and his eyes widened minutely when he realized he was now dangling less than a foot above the Dark pool.

_Just my luck_, Jak thought scathingly, sucking in a quick breath as he began heaving himself back up the vine.

"Come on, Jak!" Keira yelled urgently, her fingernails digging into her palms as she watched the Eco-infused elf strain to reach her.

A weary grunt was all she received in reply. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on Jak's brow as he fought his way up the sheer drop, sending shivers rolling down his spine as the arctic air cooled them. Every movement of his aching arms drove sharp stabs of agony through his body, and he could barely bend his fingers due to the fact he hadn't been able to feel them since earlier that morning.

Finally, only about an arm's distance separated him from Keira and sweet refuge. The young mechanic shifted onto her stomach and extended a hand to him, stretching as far as she could manage.

"Take my hand!" she ordered, her bright green eyes glittering with fear and determination alike.

With one final burst of power, Jak launched himself upwards and grabbed Keira's hand in his own, swaying precariously while she shifted all her weight behind her to prevent herself from sliding off the cliff as well. Jak's instincts kicked into overdrive when he felt himself beginning to slip, and he gripped onto her with his other hand as well, causing her to hold on with both hands in response.

Her muscles screaming in protest, Keira dug her heels into the uneven ground and began to drag Jak up over the ridge. She felt as if her arms were being wrenched out of their sockets due to his weight, but she was far too concerned about getting him to safety to notice the pain.

Exhausted gasps escaped both elves' throats as, with one last forceful tug, Jak was able to haul himself onto solid ground.

The duo instantly collapsed onto the snow, what little energy they'd had after trekking through the cold all day thoroughly spent. Jak lay on his back beside Keira, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. After a moment, he got the sensation that he was being watched, and turned his head to find himself drowning in Keira's emerald gaze.

For a moment, the two simply stared at one another, both reveling in the fact that Jak had cheated death by the skin of his teeth, as he had made a habit of doing over the past several years.

Then, in the same instant, they realized just how close they were to one another, and promptly leapt to their feet, shifting their attention to anything except each other in an attempt to hide the blush now residing on both their faces.

"T-thanks for saving me, Keir," Jak stammered, clearing his throat awkwardly and doing little to ease the tension that crackled in the air like electricity.

"No problem," Keira replied quietly. Surprisingly, her tone was distant rather than embarrassed, as if she were thinking deeply about something. Jak risked a glance at her, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he noticed the overall blankness in her expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, knowing from years spent growing up with her that when she spaced out as she was now, something was usually troubling her.

Keira either hadn't heard him or chose to ignore him, her eyes fixed unseeingly on the tiny white flakes beneath her.

"Keira?" Jak pressed, taking a cautious step towards her. Still he got no response, even when he tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder.

Several beats of silence passed between the two in which Jak's concern only increased and Keira still seemed lost in her own little world.

Abruptly, Keira's head snapped up and she locked her gaze with Jak's. The dark warrior just barely caught a glimmer of resolve and fierce determination in her emerald irises before she knotted her fingers in his hair and pulled his face down to the level of hers.

Without giving him the chance to comprehend what was happening, Keira pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.

* * *

"We wish you a merry, _hic_, Chrizmas. We wish, _hic_, you a merry Chrizmas…"

"Ok, Daxxie, I think you've had enough," Tess scolded her boyfriend, snatching the bottle of beer that he was sloshing around dangerously out of his grasp.

"Aw, common sweet, _hic_, cheeks!" Daxter protested, fixing her with what would have been a pleading look had he been in his right mind. "Where's yer, _hic_, holiday spirit?"

Shaking her head sadly, Tess hid the intoxicated ottsel's half-finished drink behind the bar and watched him sway drunkenly on its surface.

The sober member of the furry duo had closed down the Naughty Ottsel a few hours previously, seeing as how Daxter had been unable to keep up with the flow of customers while worrying himself sick over his missing friends. He'd been downing alcohol like there was no tomorrow since then, hoping to drown his concerns in beer and his favorite concoction he'd dubbed "the purple stuff".

Which, judging by the state he was in now, he'd succeeded.

Torn had taken his leave a while ago to inform Ashelin of Jak and Keira's disappearance, so that left the pub to the two orange rodents. Tess had managed to occupy herself with washing glasses and mugs as a much more sensible distraction from her anxiety.

"Precursors, I hope they're alright…" she muttered to herself, scrubbing a shot glass that she'd absentmindedly been cleaning for the past ten minutes or so.

"Hey, Tessie-poo," Daxter slurred, flopping down beside his girlfriend and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You wanna know what I, _hic_, think?"

"About what?" Tess inquired, blinking as she finally realized the glass in her hand couldn't be any shinier if she'd dunked it in Light Eco and picking up another one instead.

"I think that, _hic_, ol' Jakky-boy an', _hic_, Keira vanished on purpose," the pants-clad ottsel mused, humming cheerfully to himself as soon as he finished his sentence.

"What do you mean?" Tess asked, glancing up at him in surprise.

"What I _mean_ is that, _hic_, those guys have been after, _hic_, each other for_ever_," Daxter elaborated, grinning rather insanely. "Who's ta say they didn't jus', _hic_, waltz out into the forest to have a lil', _hic_, alone time?"

Tess rolled her eyes at the inebriated elf-turned-rat. "Baby, no normal, sane person would go out in the middle of a blizzard just to —"

She didn't have the chance to complete her argument, however, before Daxter abruptly passed out on the counter.

Sighing in exasperation, Tess returned her attention to her work, consumed in her thoughts.

The sound of the automatic door sliding open yanked her out of her reverie. She glanced up in time to see a pair of familiar tattooed figures enter the bar, one of them nearly buried in the branches of a pine tree. A short, green man followed a step behind them, his wrinkled features surprisingly downcast.

"Evening, Tess," Ashelin greeted, sauntering over to aforementioned rodent while Torn paused to lean the tree against the wall.

"Hey guys," Tess replied, offering the redhead a half-hearted smile. "What's the tree for?"

"Well, since you didn't have one, we decided to go out and get one for you," Ashelin explained as Torn halted at her side.

"Yeah, but we actually used our brains and went to a _lot_," he grumbled, earning himself a death glare from the two females.

"My daughter meant well in going out to the forest, Torn," Samos snapped, thumping over to join the little group. "And Jak wouldn't have dared venture out there himself if he weren't so convinced she was in trouble."

"Whatever," Torn muttered, folding his arms crossly and glaring at the floor.

"Speaking of Keira and her cocky boyfriend," Ashelin cut in, ignoring the muffled snicker from Tess at her chosen title for Jak, "we have to accept the fact that if they haven't come back by now, then something's happened to them. Which is why Torn and I are going to find them."

Torn did not seem at all thrilled by this fact, if his ever-present scowl was any indication.

"What?" Tess demanded, her eyes widening with shock. "Do you think I want _more_ of my friends dropping off the face of the earth?"

"Please, Tess," Torn scoffed, waving his hand dismissively in the blonde ottsel's general direction. "Ashelin and I are more than equipped to handle anything we may meet out there."

As if to prove his point, he withdrew a lightweight revolver from his boot and twirled it lazily around his fingers, while Ashelin patted the Eco-pistol strapped in a holster on her thigh.

"Our comrades are missing," the dreadlocked she-elf asserted, her sage-green eyes narrowed. "And I'll be damned if they die out in that storm because we were too scared to do anything about it."

Knowing it would be useless to try and change their minds, Tess heaved a reluctant sigh and nodded.

"Good luck," she called as the two ex-KGs about-faced and strode across the room, Torn holstering his weapon without breaking pace.

"We'll be back before nightfall, _with_ Jak and Keira," Ashelin promised over her shoulder as she and Torn stepped out into the snowstorm, the entrance clicking shut behind them.

* * *

Jak's muscles locked into place the instant he felt Keira's lips against his. His mind refused to make sense of what was happening, as all his thoughts seemed to have crashed into one another and exploded in a fiery inferno.

After a moment, however, his eyes slid closed of their own accord, and his arms snaked their way around Keira's waist, pulling her closer. Keira sighed against his mouth, and her fingers released their hold on his hair, moving instead so that her arms were draped around his neck.

One thought managed to disentangle itself from the unrecognizable jumble and push itself to the forefront of Jak's mind, and that was just how _good_ this felt. In the few months since the incident at the Bloody Hook, Jak had forgotten what it was like to kiss Keira. But now that he was standing this close to her, her warmth soaking through his jacket and nearly causing his knees to give way, he couldn't _believe_ he'd waited this long to do it again.

It seemed an eternity later when the two elves finally broke apart, remaining in each other's embrace and smiling at one another through half-lidded eyes.

Then, simultaneously, a dark crimson rose to stain both of their faces, although they did not shift their gazes to something else as they would have only minutes ago.

"What just happened?" Keira asked, and Jak fought to stifle a snicker at her dazed tone. She sounded as if someone had just clubbed her over the head with the butt of a morph-gun.

"You kissed me," he replied simply, grinning crookedly down at her and earning himself a playful punch in the arm.

"I realize that, smart-ass," she teased, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "I just, er… took myself by surprise, is all."

"You think _you_ were surprised…" Jak scoffed under his breath. He tilted his head to one side curiously, his eyebrows furrowing. "Why _did_ you kiss me, though?"

"I… I have no idea," Keira admitted awkwardly, finally breaking away from the force of his ocean-blue stare in favor of studying the nearest tree. "I guess… I was just so relieved that you were alive, and I got a bit, uh… carried away."

"A bit?" Jak repeated incredulously, causing Keira to return her attention to him. He instantly noticed the apprehension in her emerald irises and couldn't help but smirk. "Hmm, if that's the kind of reaction you have when I'm inches away from my death, maybe I should put myself in life-threatening situations more often."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Keira grumbled, scowling at him. "Too bad I won't always be around to save you, mister hero."

"Who says I need you to save me?" the dark warrior chuckled, removing one arm from its position around Keira's waist so he could ruffle her hair. "I _can_ take care of myself, you know. Although I guess there are some benefits to letting you come to my rescue."

"And what would that be?" Keira inquired cautiously, a bit unsettled by the mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"I can do this without worrying about getting slapped," he answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Without giving the young mechanic a chance to respond, Jak pulled her flush against his body and claimed her lips with his in a tender kiss.

All rational thought was wiped clean from Keira's mind as she felt herself melt into the circle of Jak's arms, tiny white crystals fluttering delicately around them as they were submerged in sheer bliss.

* * *

**JKA: Gah, I apologize for the shortish chapter, guys, but I'm rather enthralled by my Christmas gifts at the moment... Anyways, hope that was up-to-standards. You all know the rules; no reviews, no chapter 5. :) Thanks!**


	5. Contemplations

**JKA: I'M BACK! Did you guys miss me? :D Ok, so I know I've kept you waiting waaaay too long for an update, and for that I'm deeply sorry. I'd like to say I have some brilliant excuse for why it's taken so long, but really it was just me being lazy. ^^' I'd give you a double-update to make up for it, but... I only have this chapter written out, hehe. Also, thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter, those are what encouraged me to write this one in the first place. ^_^ Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, enjoy the bit of JakxKeira fluff, or no chapter 6.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Contemplations**

A violent shiver rolled down Jak's spine, and he wrapped his arms more tightly around himself in response, clenching his jaw in an effort to prevent his teeth from chattering. Night was beginning to descend over the forest, bringing with it a fresh blanketing of snow and plunging the temperature to well below freezing.

_Whatever higher power invented the idea of cold must have been a real pain in the ass,_ Jak growled to himself, reaching up with numb fingers to double-check that he still had both of his ears, as he'd completely lost feeling in them hours ago — far longer than he cared to remember.

As if to add another inconvenience to his ever-growing mental list, Jak's stomach broke the relative silence of the woods with a vicious snarl, reminding him wistfully that he hadn't had anything to eat since he'd stormed out of the Naughty Ottsel the previous night.

Exhaling in a cloudy gust, Jak cast a sidelong glance in Keira's direction. The young mechanic appeared to be in a similar state as he was, her arms folded stiffly in front of her chest and her body trembling so harshly that her shape seemed almost blurred.

As if she sensed his stare trained on her, Keira shifted her gaze up to his face, unintentionally mesmerizing him with her endless green eyes. She attempted to offer him a warm smile, but the force of her shuddering made it look more like a grimace.

"We need to find shelter soon," Jak stated the obvious, just the hint of a quaver in his voice due in part to the frigid air and part to the compelling power of Keira's gaze. "I don't know about you, but I don't fancy the idea of spending the rest of the night buried in ten feet of snow."

"N-no k-k-kidding," Keira agreed, her words broken and garbled as a result of her teeth banging together so hard it appeared as though they would shatter at any moment.

Instinctively, Keira closed the small distance between herself and Jak, leaning into him in an effort to share some of his body heat. Jak stiffened in response to the contact, his impulse to hold her against him warring with his own self-consciousness.

_Is that what she expects me to do?_ he wondered anxiously, trying to ignore the feel of her shivering form against him so he could think straight. _I mean, sure we kissed earlier, but does that mean we're… dating now? Officially? Or are we still something along the lines of just 'friends with benefits'?_

Despite having shared a passionate moment with the she-elf beside him not two hours ago, Jak was still not exactly sure where they stood in their relationship. After all, their kiss at the Bloody Hook several months previously had been just as heated as their most recent, and yet they'd spent uncountable weeks afterwards without even mentioning it to one another. And besides, Keira's actions earlier could have just been fueled by the relief that Jak was still alive, and might not have meant the same thing to her as they did to him.

It certainly didn't help that the two of them hadn't done anything that even remotely suggested they were beyond the borderline of "best friends" since they'd continued wandering toward what they hoped was Haven City.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Jak ran his fingers through his green-tinted hair, feeling what remained of Keira's warmth gradually soaking through his jacket.

_Women! Why do they have to be so damn hard to figure out?_

Another shudder wracked Keira's slim frame, and all the uncertainty wiped itself clean from Jak's mind as he immediately wound his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his side in a duel effort to both warm and comfort her.

_Ah, screw it_, the dark warrior grumbled to himself, absentmindedly rubbing Keira's arm with his gloved hand. _Do I really want things to go back to the way they were, anyway? And besides, it's not like she's complaining._

"H-how big could this Precursor-forsaken forest possibly b-be?" Keira asked irritably, breaking Jak out of his reverie. The stutter in her speech was subsiding a bit as the heat of the elf's embrace thawed her chilled skin. "We've been out h-here a million times before, and it n-never seemed to take this l-long to get back to H-haven."

"That's because we didn't have to plow through a blizzard when we came out here before," Jak reminded her just as crossly, scowling as his foot got momentarily caught in the knee-deep snow.

Keira exhaled wearily, nestling her head into the crook of Jak's arm, her eyelids falling to half-mast. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just w-want to be h-home, that's all."

"Don't worry about it," Jak replied, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. "I want to go home, too."

Silence stretched between the two for an immeasurable moment, broken only by the howl of the wind in their frozen ears. Keira tilted her gaze upwards to study Jak's face, noting the distant expression currently dominating his features. Something seemed slightly off about his overall appearance, and Keira's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she realized what it was.

"Hey, Jak?" she inquired curiously, causing the three-time world savior to glance down at her, his cerulean eyes locking with her emerald ones. "What happened to your goggles?"

Blinking in surprise, Jak reached up with his free hand and ran his fingers through the hair closest to his forehead. Sure enough, the familiar metallic smoothness of his goggles was absent, replaced by the feel of green strands sifting between his fingers.

"Huh, I didn't even notice they were gone," he admitted, lowering his arm again and shrugging helplessly. "They must have fallen off somewhere in the middle of my near-death experience earlier."

"I guess so," Keira nodded, struggling to remember the last time she'd seen Jak with his goggles on and coming up blank. After a moment she gave up, instead returning her attention to Jak's face, a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth. "Jak?"

"Yeah?" the Eco-infused elf questioned, meeting her gaze once again.

Keira's grin shifted into something that resembled more of a smirk, her bright irises sparkling with affection. "I just thought I'd let you know that if I had to be stranded out in the forest in the middle of a snowstorm with anyone, I'm glad it was with you."

Not quite sure how to respond to that, Jak simply beamed down at his closest friend, giving her shoulders another squeeze and allowing her to rest her head against his side once more.

* * *

"I still can't believe those two were stupid enough to come all the way out here," the tattooed man scoffed, his arms folded impatiently over his chest and his ever-present scowl fixed on the heavy metal door of the airlock. "Not even someone as cold-hearted as the Baron used to be would dare wander into the forest in the middle of a snowstorm."

"Knock it off, Torn," Ashelin scolded him, her posture identical to his apart from the fact that her glare was trained on him rather than the door. "You know as well as I do that neither Jak nor Keira would have done something this risky without reason."

"Oh, I believe that Keira wouldn't," Torn agreed scornfully, avoiding Ashelin's heated gaze for fear of succumbing to what all males only refer to as "the look". "Jak, on the other hand, I'm not surprised. That moron's always throwing himself into death-trap situations just for an adrenaline rush."

"_With good reason_," the redhead beside him emphasized, turning her attention to the entrance in front of them as it parted, revealing the white-blanketed woods beyond. "You can't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if someone _you_ cared about went missing, Commander."

As soon as those words left Ashelin's mouth, a once-in-a-lifetime event occurred, one that would tear the very fabric of the universe to pieces if anyone apart from the city governess ever witnessed it: the faintest of blushes rose up to color Torn's cheeks.

"T-that's different," the uncomfortable ex-KG protested, following Ashelin as she began heading deeper into the trees. "I'm not constantly going out on suicide missions just for the hell of it like Jak is."

Unseen by Torn, a knowing smirk flickered across Ashelin's ink-covered face. She hadn't specifically meant herself with her comment, but if Torn wanted to interpret it that way, she wasn't going to correct him. It wasn't often she got to make him squirm, and Precursors forbid she miss the rare opportunity.

"Yeah, you're happy to just hunker down at Headquarters and let Jak do all the dangerous gigs for you," she teased, tossing him a mischievous grin over her shoulder.

"You know that's not true, _Praxis_," Torn hissed, shoving his embarrassment aside as his temper nearly as infamous as Jak's flared. "Who else would command those sorry excuses for troops if I was out on missions day and night?"

"Calm down, I was just winding you up," Ashelin soothed him, dropping back a few paces so that she was at his side. She laid her hand briefly on his arm, and then swiftly removed it, all humor vanishing from her expression. "Now focus on the situation at hand. Our friends are counting on us."

A curt nod was all she received in reply from her stony-faced companion.

The tattooed duo trekked through the forest in silence, weaving in between the tightly-packed trees in search of any sign that their missing friends had been nearby. Fresh snow whipped around them on the crisp blizzard winds, adding onto the already two-feet-deep flurry obscuring the ground. The ever-spiraling storm clouds overhead had darkened to an ominous black with the fall of night, casting the surrounding woods into impenetrable shadow.

"Damn, it's freezing," Ashelin remarked, hitching her jacket more securely around her shoulders and exhaling in a thick cloud of fog.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Torn growled, rubbing his arms absentmindedly in hopes that the friction would warm him up a bit. "It's not like I've been saying that since we came out here or anything."

"Shut up," Ashelin snapped, fixing him with a glare that had him quieting instantly for fear of earning himself a black eye. "Yes, the temperature's a bit inconvenient for the both of us, but we've got a job to do."

For a moment it appeared as if Torn were about to argue, and then he seemed to think better of it, his expression instead shifting to one of worry. "Hey, Ash? What if… what if Jak and Keira didn't survive? I mean, Jak's tough, but they've been out in this mess for over twenty-four hours, now. And Keira's not exactly a fighter…"

"Of course they survived!" Ashelin hissed so fiercely that Torn took an instinctual step backwards, his eyes wide. The redhead stared at him intensely for the length of a heartbeat, and then the fire in her gaze died away, revealing a level of weariness beneath that Torn had never thought he'd see in Ashelin's eyes.

Sighing, the city governess turned away from him, gazing blankly at the snow-covered brush around them.

"They have to."

* * *

Jak curled his knees up to his chest, rubbing his hands together in an effort to regain some of the feeling in his fingers. Keira sat beside him, leaning against him with her head resting on his shoulder, worn out from the long day. After a moment Jak reluctantly accepted that warming his hands was a vain endeavor, and instead chose to wind one arm around Keira's shoulders, pulling her closer.

The two childhood friends had managed to find a sheltered glade where they could rest for the night, the thick grass just barely dusted with snow and the trees surrounding the perimeter succeeding in keeping most of the wind at bay. In truth, the cave they'd taken refuge in the previous evening had been preferable, but the day's events had left them thoroughly exhausted, and the clearing was better than nothing.

"How much farther do you think Haven is?" Keira asked quietly, her voice just as tired as her overall demeanor.

"I don't know," Jak replied truthfully, resting his head on top of hers and stifling a yawn. "We haven't even reached the lake yet, so my guess is we've got a long way to go."

"Great," Keira muttered sarcastically, her eyelids sliding closed as if she were simply too drained to keep them open any longer.

A low rumble captured both of their attentions, and Keira's hand flew to her abdomen, a groan escaping her throat.

"Are you starving, too, or is it just me?" she inquired exasperatedly, blinking open her eyes and frowning as her stomach snarled again.

"I'm hungry, too," Jak agreed, although he had to admit their lack of food wasn't bothering him as much as the cold was. If there was one thing two years in the Baron's prison had taught him, it was how to handle hunger.

Silence stretched between them for several seconds, neither of them able to come up with something appropriate to fill the quiet with through the fatigue-driven haze clouding their minds.

Jak was just beginning to lose his grip on consciousness when Keira's soft voice brought him back to the waking world.

"Daxter must be worried sick about us," she murmured, moving closer to him until she was all but sitting in his lap. "And everyone else, for that matter."

"I bet you anything that Daxter's drowning his woes in liquor right about now," Jak snorted half-heartedly, attempting to mask the guilt that had suddenly manifested in his stomach with humor. Up until that very moment, he hadn't actually thought about Daxter — or any of their friends, if he was being honest with himself — at all. His main concern had been finding Keira and bringing her home safe, and that had left no room for thoughts of how the others back in Haven must be feeling.

"I don't doubt that," Keira giggled sleepily, resting her head in the crook of Jak's neck. The brief smile that had been tugging at her lips faded away, to be replaced by an anxious frown. "Do you think they tried to search for us?"

"Honestly, I hope not," Jak answered grimly, subconsciously rocking her back and forth the slightest bit. "I don't want any more of my friends getting stranded out here. I wouldn't put it past Torn and Ashelin to try, though. Those two were never ones to surrender before the battle even began."

"Hmm," the teal-haired she-elf sighed noncommittally, her breathing beginning to deepen as she slowly drifted to sleep.

Allowing a small smile to grace his features, Jak carefully shifted so that they were lying in a more comfortable position rather than sitting upright, keeping his arms locked around Keira. The young mechanic curled up against him, her fingers clutching the fabric of his jacket.

"Sleep well, Keir," Jak whispered, his eyelids gradually slipping closed as the rhythm of Keira's even breaths lulled him into unconsciousness.

* * *

The arctic wind whipped around the pair of tattooed elves as they plowed their way through the ever-deepening snow, stinging their exposed cheeks and rapidly numbing their long ears. Storm clouds had manifested so thickly overhead that they could barely see their own hands in front of their faces through the pounding sleet and the heavy shadows of midnight. The smaller of the two was several feet in front of her companion, carving a path through the flurry, her arms folded stiffly over her chest and determination dominating her features.

"Ashelin!" Torn called over the roar of the wind, his scowl intensifying with every shiver that rolled down his spine. "This is useless! We need to head back to the city!"

"No!" Ashelin spat back, her narrowed eyes fixed on what she could see of the trail ahead of her. "We told the others that we'd bring Jak and Keira back with us, and I'm not giving up until we find them!"

Torn let loose a growl of frustration, lengthening his stride in order to catch up with his stubborn girlfriend. "Ash, come on. I want to help them as much as you do, but how do you expect to find them in this storm? If we stay out here much longer, we'll end up stranded, too."

"I don't care!" Ashelin screeched, wheeling around to face him, her green irises aflame. "Jak and Keira are our friends. And I will _not_ leave my comrades out here to die because I was too damn _selfish_ to save them!"

Heaving a weary sigh, Torn reached out and laid his hand lightly on Ashelin's shoulder, ignoring her attempt to shake him off.

"Ashelin," he muttered, his words nearly lost in the ceaseless howl of the blizzard. "You know I don't want to abandon them, either. It goes against everything I ever learned as a soldier. But sometimes, it's better to call it quits before you cause more harm than good."

A beat of tense silence crackled between the duo, both locked in each other's determined gaze, neither willing to back down.

Finally, Ashelin deflated, Torn having calmed the fire of her anger in a way that only he could.

"But what about Daxter, or Samos?" she pressed, her tone far softer than it had been only seconds before. She blinked helplessly at Torn, worry creasing her forehead. "Did you see the looks on their faces when we left? Jak and Keira disappearing has hit both of them hard. They'll be crushed if we come back without those two."

"I know," Torn agreed quietly, returning her troubled stare sadly. "But what choice do we have?"

For a moment it appeared as if Ashelin were going to argue, and then she seemed to accept the Freedom League commander's words, the ache of defeat evident in her sage-colored eyes.

"You're right," she surrendered, breaking away from Torn's gaze in favor of studying the snow beneath her feet. "There's nothing more we can do right now."

Torn gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, — communicating his sympathy in the language that only she understood — and then retracted his hand, letting it fall to his side.

"Come on," he encouraged gruffly, his typical coarse attitude returning to mask the softness he had just expressed towards the city governor. "Let's head back. It's too damn cold out here."

Nodding once, Ashelin began retracing their steps, following the route they had come from, her boots leaving fresh prints in the icy ground. Torn fell in step beside her, his stride matching hers and his head down as he fought to keep the biting wind from attacking the exposed skin of his face.

Neither of the ex-KGs were really paying attention to the path ahead of them as they struggled through the snow, both consumed in their thoughts. Torn was abruptly jolted out of his reverie, however, when he felt something shift unexpectedly under his foot, throwing him off-balance.

"What the…?" he asked of no one in particular, righting himself and crouching down to examine the place where he had just stepped.

"Something wrong?" Ashelin inquired, her voice listless and her expression conveying only minimal interest in whatever had distracted her companion.

"I found something," Torn explained quickly, picking up the unidentifiable object he'd dislodged and dusting the fallen ivory powder from its surface.

Both his and Ashelin's eyes widened simultaneously when they recognized the item in Torn's hand, exchanging shocked glances with one another.

"Aren't those… Jak's goggles?" Ashelin questioned, broken out of her uncharacteristically depressed stupor by the surprise of discovering the familiar eyewear.

"Yes, they are," Torn answered numbly, staring at the goggles resting in his palm as if they had spontaneously burst into flames.

"But Jak _never_ takes those things off," the ruby-haired she-elf gasped, a trickle of foreboding beginning to slither its way down her spine. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him when he _wasn't_ wearing them, occasion be damned."

"What reason could he have for leaving them behind now, then?" Torn wondered, straightening up with the goggles still firmly clasped in his fingers. A sudden thought struck him, and he glanced sharply at Ashelin, cold dread sucking the light out of his icy-blue irises. "Unless…"

"Unless… he's not around to wear them anymore," Ashelin finished for him, her features mirroring the fear consuming his.

Silence reined over the two once more, although this felt so much different than the average break in conversation. This type of quiet seemed to slam down on their ears, suffocating all noise around them and echoing in their minds as they each scrambled frantically for a solution to the issue of Jak's abandoned goggles — any kind of answer other than the one they simply did not want to believe.

Finally, after several minutes of choking stillness, the tattooed couple locked gazes, their eyes glittering with shared grief.

"Come on," Ashelin whispered, shifting her attention to the trail that would lead them back to Haven, her tone inflectionless. "We need to tell the others."

* * *

**JKA: Honestly, I'm not particularly happy with how this chapter turned out. It was mostly just a bit of filler to get the ball rolling again, and I've never been very good at filler. :P Also going to apologize if there were any mistakes in grammer or the like, I edited this at around 11:30 last night because I really wanted to get it posted. Regardless, you know the drill. Reviews, please, and hopefully chapter 6 will be up much sooner than this one.**


	6. Nightmares

**JKA: Whoo, longest chapter yet! :D I am amazed with myself right now, to be honest. I think this is the least amount of time its taken me to post a new chapter. Ah well, I wanted to get this finished and up today as a Valentine's gift to you all. ^_^ Thanks to the always reliable Mika and Marn for reviewing, you guys are the greatest. Seriously. :DD Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and happy Valentine's Day, everyone.**

**Oh, and to two of you in particular, hope you guys had a fun holiday. You know who you are. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Nightmares**

_Cold sunlight reflected off of the icy ground, blinding him with its glare. The sounds of deep snarls and pained howls alike reverberated in his sensitive ears, none of the cries even remotely human. The frigid air had no effect on his body as adrenaline coursed through his veins, the instinct to fight — to defend — dominating his every thought and action._

_With a low growl, he leapt into the middle of the surging tide of creatures, their skull gems flashing in the piercing daylight. He struck down any opponent that came within three feet of him, using nothing but his bare hands and booted feet as weapons as he lacked any other form of artillery. Grim satisfaction surged through him as their lifeless bodies hit the ground, adding fuel to the fire of his bloodlust, his obligation to protect the one he cared for most._

_Suddenly, the thick atmosphere of battle was shattered with a heart-wrenching scream, one that shot down his spine like an electric current and broke through the scarlet haze clouding his mind. That cry paralyzed him where he stood, all previous rage and desire to attack draining out of him and a bone-chilling fear taking its place._

_The pounding of his heart drowned out every other sound and all rational thought as he cast a quick glance in the direction the scream had come from, feeling horror spread through his body like wildfire at the sight that greeted him._

_There she lay, struggling vainly against one of the many monsters that had ambushed them as it attempted to rip her to shreds. Her efforts were getting her nowhere fast, for she was not a warrior, and the ivory snow around her was swiftly darkening with the crimson blood that flowed from countless wounds, creating a gruesome pattern on her pale skin. No familiar light remained in her emerald irises, but rather an overwhelming terror as the creature continued to gouge its claws into her flesh._

_Another scream tore from her chest, and in an instant he was battling his way over to her, brutally disposing of anything and everything that stood in his path. When he was mere feet from where she was rapidly losing a war for her life, her gaze found his, sending a jolt straight to his heart as it always did._

_Those deep green eyes held nothing but a quiet resolve as they bored into his, the emotion behind them never faltering, even as the monster lunged for her throat._

"_Keira!"_

"Jak?"

Jak's eyelids shot open, and he closed them again almost instantly, disorientated by the sudden darkness of the world around him. His chest heaved as he fought for breath, and a cold sweat drenched his skin, plastering his clothes to his body. Arctic air billowed around him, causing a violent shiver to wrack his frame as it came into contact with the dampness on his face and neck.

"Jak?" a soft voice beside him repeated, its tone laced with worry.

Hardly daring to believe his ears, Jak sat bolt upright, blinking open his eyes once more and shifting his gaze in the direction the voice had come from, immediately finding himself drowning in a pair of glowing emerald irises.

"Are you alright?" Keira asked anxiously, reaching up and laying one hand gently on his cold cheek.

For a long moment Jak said nothing, his brain struggling to process what he was seeing through the panicked fog that had overcome his thoughts.

Gradually, as the racing of his pulse calmed and his senses cleared, allowing him to focus, he realized that Keira was seated less than a foot away from him on the snow-covered ground. Her hair was tousled from sleep, and her gaze was anxiously searching his face, trying to understand what it was that had gotten him so worked up.

"Keira?" he questioned cautiously, still not one-hundred-percent sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"I'm right here," the young mechanic assured him, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb comfortingly, concern radiating from her every feature.

Another tense heartbeat passed, and then everything clicked into place in Jak's mind.

_It must have just been a dream_, he realized, heaving a sigh of pure relief and noticing a subtle relaxing of Keira's shoulders in response.

Without warning, Jak leaned closer to his childhood friend and threw his arms around her, burying his face in her hair and holding her to his chest as if she would disappear with the slightest breeze.

"Keira," he repeated softly, his tone exceedingly tender and his arms tightening impossibly around her waist.

"Shh, it's alright," Keira murmured soothingly, returning his embrace and resting her head in the crook of his neck. "It was only a dream."

Jak pulled away slightly so that he could meet her gaze, blinking in surprise.

"How did you know that's what was bothering me?" he inquired, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Keira snorted lightheartedly, smiling patiently up at him. "Please, Jak. We've been friends for sixteen years. I think I know you well enough by now to know when you've had a bad dream, not counting the twelve-odd years when you were mute and I had to read your eyes to know what you were thinking."

The dark warrior chuckled despite himself, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

"Bad dream," he scoffed, abruptly sobering up once more as images of Keira lying in a pool of her own blood flashed in front of his mind's eye, strong and fresh. "More like a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Keira asked gently, placing her palm against his cheek again and running her thumb along his jaw sympathetically.

"No," Jak replied quickly in a tone that allowed no room for argument. His gaze flickered to one of the many trees surrounding the glade the two of them had spent the night in, attempting to avoid the compelling force of her eyes.

Knowing better than to try and press the issue, Keira instead chose to wriggle out of the circle of his arms, leaping to her feet and offering her hand to him.

"Come on," she encouraged when he glanced at her, one eyebrow quirked questioningly. "We've got a lot of ground to cover today."

Seeing the truth in her words, Jak took her hand and allowed himself to be hauled up beside her, brushing the snow off of his pants absentmindedly and taking the time to examine the forest around them for the first time that morning. The storm clouds churning overhead appeared dark as ever, showing no sign that they were going to thin out any time soon. It seemed as if a fair amount of fresh powder had fallen during the night, for it rose up a few inches higher on Jak's legs than it had the previous day. A frosty breeze whistled through the branches of the trees, dislodging the flurry that had accumulated there and adding to the crystals already falling in an endless barrage from the blackened sky.

His eyes narrowing determinedly, Jak reached out and twined his fingers through Keira's, and together the two of them exited their temporary shelter, heading out once again into the unknown.

* * *

A heavy atmosphere shrouded the tattooed pair of elves as they stood in the glow of the familiar twenty-foot-tall ottsel mannequin, — decked out in its Santa hat and coat — both staring blankly up at it as they contemplated the news they had to deliver. Neither of them had spoken a word to the other the entire trek back into Haven City's limits, too consumed in their grief to break the silence. Over the topmost edge of the city wall that encircled the murky port waters, the clouds were lightening the slightest bit, signaling the rise of the sun hidden behind their impenetrable shadows.

"How do you think they'll take it?" Torn muttered, putting speech to his thoughts for the first time in several hours. His gravelly voice was even more hoarse than usual from a combination of disuse and remorse.

"I don't know," Ashelin answered honestly, her tone hardly above a whisper. "How do you think _you_ would feel if you found out your two best friends were dead?"

Torn shook his head numbly in reply, his fingers curling unconsciously around Jak's abandoned goggles where they were concealed in his pocket.

Inhaling deeply to steady herself, Ashelin strode towards the automatic doors of the Naughty Ottsel, strolling into the bar with her chin held high and her mouth set in a firm line. Her boyfriend followed a step behind, his posture tense and his expression unreadable.

The instant the entrance clicked shut behind the ex-KG duo, an orange streak darted across the room, skidding to a halt at their feet and gazing up at them with sparkling blue eyes.

"Did you find them?" Tess asked hopefully, her hands clasped in front of her as if she were pleading for something, _anything_ that would provide some form of reassurance.

Ashelin and Torn exchanged a troubled glance, both of them reluctant to share what they had found with the blonde rodent.

"Where are Samos and the rat?" Torn questioned evasively, turning back to Tess and running a hand uncomfortably through his dreadlocked auburn hair.

"Daxxie's sleeping in one of the back rooms and Samos is over there meditating," Tess replied cautiously, nodding in the direction of one of the booths where, indeed, the Green Sage was hovering over the table, apparently in a deep trance. "Why?"

"Bring Daxter out here," Ashelin requested quietly, her words uncharacteristically soft. "I'll wake up Samos. There's something the three of you need to hear."

Tess didn't move, studying her friends' faces warily as if she could already sense what was on their minds.

Finally, the she-elf-turned-ottsel nodded once, dashing back the way she had come and disappearing into the hallway that led to the spare rooms of the Naughty Ottsel.

The city governess watched her go for a moment, and then she treaded over to where Samos was floating in his booth to rouse him. Torn pulled up a chair from one of the nearby tables and sat down in it, folding his arms over his chest, his ice-blue gaze fixed unseeingly on the floor.

"Ashelin?" Samos grumbled as the redhead woke him from his hypnotic state. "The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have found my daughter and Jak."

"We've discovered something important," Ashelin informed him, biting her lip uneasily. "I'm afraid it can't wait."

His wise gaze easily spotting the sorrow that glittered deep within Ashelin's sage-colored irises, the elderly man did not bother to respond, sliding wordlessly off of the tabletop and thumping over to where Torn waited. He leaned heavily against his staff, eying the subdued couple as if he saw right through them.

A heartbeat of silence passed, and then Tess reappeared at the entry of the hall with Daxter in tow, the latter holding one hand gingerly to his forehead and scowling at the former.

"Tell me again _why_ you dragged me out of bed?" Daxter complained, gritting his teeth as if he were in pain. "Need I remind you that I have one bitch of a hangover and I could really use some sleep right about now?"

"Shut up, Daxxie," Tess scolded him harshly, causing both Torn and Ashelin to glance sharply at her in surprise. Never before had they heard the bubbly ottsel speak so fiercely to her sarcastic boyfriend; the tense atmosphere that seemed to have entered the bar with the tattooed duo must have been affecting her. "Torn and Ashelin are back."

At those words, Daxter's head instantly snapped up, his eyes locking on Haven's ruler and her right-hand man. A faint glimmer of hope began to stir in that sky-blue gaze, sending a pang of guilt surging through both of the ink-covered elves to mingle with the grief searing their chests.

"Sit down, guys," Ashelin suggested hoarsely, clearing her throat in an attempt to steady her voice. "Torn and I have something we need to share with you."

"Where are Jak and Keira?" Daxter demanded immediately as he hopped up on a table near where Samos stood, Tess claiming a spot beside him as he took a seat on the edge.

"Well… about that…" Ashelin stalled, her focus shifting to each of her companions' expressions in turn, coming to rest on Torn's serious face. He nodded once, conveying a message of comfort to her that the others could not understand.

"Spit it out, Sweet Stripes," the pants-clad ottsel prompted, a frown dragging at the corners of his lips. "What happened to my friends?"

The answer leapt unbidden to Torn's tongue before he could stop it, tumbling out of his mouth without allowing Ashelin the chance to even consider how to respond.

"They're dead."

Silence. Not a single person in the room spoke, not even Daxter, who looked as if he'd just had the wind knocked out of him. It felt as if the very air had solidified, making it seem as though everything had frozen over, right down to the core.

Finally, the suffocating quiet was broken by one word, verbalized so softly that it could have easily been mistaken for a simple breath.

"No."

All eyes landed on Daxter, who seemed to have recovered from his temporary shock. His furry fists were clenched at his sides so tightly that his arms were trembling, and a fierce fire crackled in his intense gaze, clashing with the utter defiance plastered all over his features.

"What?" Ashelin asked in bewilderment, wondering if she'd heard the orange rodent correctly.

"No," Daxter repeated, fixing the slender woman with a glare that rivaled the one that had become an infamous trait of Jak's. "I don't believe you."

"If you think we're wrong, then how do you explain these?" Torn questioned monotonously, withdrawing Jak's goggles from his pocket and balancing them in his palm so that Samos, Daxter, and Tess could all easily identify them.

"So Jak lost his goggles, big deal," Tess interjected before Daxter could snap at the ex-KG, laying one hand on her fuzzy sweetheart's arm in an effort to soothe him. "I don't understand how that automatically marks him and Keira as dead."

"Think about it," Samos cut in grimly, his ancient stare locked on the familiar eyewear in Torn's hand. "When have you once seen Jak without his goggles, no matter what he'd been doing at the time?"

"Never, to be honest," Tess admitted, arching one delicate eyebrow at the old Sage.

"Exactly," Samos sighed, bowing his head as if he'd suddenly been overcome with grief. "So what reason could the boy have for losing them out in the forest, unless something had happened to him and he was no longer able to wear them?"

"That's what we thought," Ashelin agreed sadly, striding over to Torn and leaning against the arm of his chair, all of the energy draining out of her and leaving her feeling too shaky to stand.

"I guess you have a point," Tess conceded, misery beginning to trickle its way into her voice. "And if that's all you could find of them, even after a whole night of searching, then how can we hope that they're still alive?"

"Bull_shit_!" Daxter yelled suddenly, causing everyone in the room to jump — apart from Samos, who seemed to have succumbed into a silent state of remorse for his lost daughter and theoretically adopted son. "I _know_ Jak and Keira, and there is no way in hell that those two would go down just like that! I can't believe you're all throwing in the towel just because you happened to pick up some stupid goggles! _Are you all out of your freaking minds?_"

With a furious snarl, Daxter leapt off of the table and stormed back the way he had come, heading in the direction of the spare rooms behind the bar. He paused in the entrance of the hallway, throwing a heated glare at each of his companions, all of whom were staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"You mark my words," the enraged rodent growled, jabbing a finger in Torn and Ashelin's general direction. "Jak and Keira are going to show up here, — either today or weeks from now, I really don't give a damn — defeating the impossible odds like they always do, and then I am going to _laugh_."

As soon as he'd finished speaking, Daxter whipped around and disappeared down the hall, leaving the rest of the group to watch the place he had vanished in stunned silence.

* * *

Frigid winds thrashed around Jak and Keira as they plowed their way through the ever-thickening snow — both on the ground and cascading through the air, assaulting their faces with bitter cold. The trees overhead rattled like a chorus of bones cracking against one another, and the harsh breeze whistled in their numb ears, drowning out almost all other sound.

"Jak?" Keira called over the roar of the storm, pressed tightly against the dark warrior's side as brutal shivers tormented her thin frame. "M-maybe we should just c-call it a d-d-day and find sh-shelter."

"No!" Jak shouted back, his eyes narrowed firmly against the gale. He had one arm wrapped securely around Keira in an effort to shield her from the worst of the blizzard while attempting to ignore the shudders that were rolling through his body as well. "We'll lose too much time if we stop now. Would you rather try and get as much ground covered as we can, and be back in Haven that much sooner, or wait out the storm and go at least another day without food?"

Keira opened her mouth to fire a retort at him just as her stomach let loose a feral rumble, reminding her forcefully of just how hungry she was.

"Y-you're right," she amended quickly, attempting to hide her face in the fabric of Jak's jacket in hopes that it would keep some of the frosty wind at bay. "The s-sooner we get h-home, the better."

Before Jak had the chance to reply, the forest ahead of them parted abruptly, revealing a seemingly endless stretch of smooth, snow-dusted ice beyond its boundaries — the lake.

As soon as the ebony expanse came into view, a small gasp escaped Keira's throat, the frightened noise nearly lost in the howl of the blizzard. She shifted impossibly closer to Jak's side, her fingers curling around his forearm in a death-grip and her trembling accelerating until it felt like one continuous vibration.

"It's alright, Keir," Jak soothed her, knowing automatically that the sight of the frozen water must have brought terrifying memories surging back to the teal-haired she-elf. "We're just going around it."

Sucking in a sharp breath, Keira nodded once and allowed Jak to guide her down closer to the lakeshore, pausing when they were still a good three feet from the edge and beginning to follow the curve of the ice.

"If we stick to the path of the coastline for about a mile, then we should end up just a few hours' distance from the city by the time we hit the trees again," Jak thought aloud, studying the border of the lake speculatively.

The young mechanic nodded again, her body still shaking violently against his and her eyes darting from the solidified water, to the tree line, and back again, as if she wanted nothing more than to put as much forest between herself and the lake as possible.

Suddenly, the undergrowth encompassing the redwood trunks higher up the bank began waving madly, far quicker than a motion that could have been caused by wind alone. Jak's acute ears picked up the sound of crackling branches instantly, and he whipped around with lightning speed to face the quivering bramble thicket, pulling Keira behind him and shielding her with his body from whatever threat may be lurking unseen.

After a moment the brush fell still, and a beat of silence passed, broken only by the constant shriek of the wind.

Out of nowhere, a colossal Metal Head burst from the bushes, a gruesome roar ripping from its chest. It was of the same breed as the one that had first attacked Keira not two days previously, its curved horn gleaming even in the dim light cast by the storm clouds.

A yelp of terror leapt unbidden from Keira's throat, and she stumbled backwards several steps, placing her feet blindly on the uneven ground, her only thought escape. Jak stood paralyzed in between her and the Metal Head, his impulse to attack the monster and protect the horrified girl behind him warring with his need to make sure that Keira didn't cause any harm herself in her panic.

His decision was made for him, however, when — with a grisly snarl — the Metal Head stamped its thick foot once and charged at him, its lowered head a clear indication that it planned to impale him on its horn. Muscles and instincts kicking into overdrive, Jak dove agilely out of the creature's path, soft ivory crystals kicking up around him as he dug his heels into frosty the earth, preparing to leap at the Metal Head.

_What a fantastic time to forget my morph-gun at home,_ he grumbled to himself as he pushed off of the ground, soaring through the air and twisting around mid-jump to deliver a well-aimed roundhouse to his opponent's unarmored jaw. _Not to mention I used up all my Eco stores on an effing mission for Torn before I came out here. Now what are the Mar-damn odds of _that?

A furious growl brought his senses back to the fight at hand, and he ducked just in time to avoid another blow from the Metal Head, sparing his head the dreadful fate of being severed from his neck.

"Look out, Jak!" Keira yelled apprehensively, reminding the Eco-infused elf of her presence. Jak cast a swift glance at her out of the corner of his eye just to make sure she was alright, and then he did a double-take, pure horror sending every cell of his body screeching to a halt.

In her frightened rush to flee from the Metal Head, Keira had unknowingly wandered out onto the surface of the lake, so that now only a sheet of ice separated her from the sub-zero waters beneath her feet.

"Keira, come back!" Jak called frantically, the Metal Head forgotten as he raced down to the edge of the lakeshore, his gaze locked on Keira's slender form, standing all alone in the middle of a barren stretch of blackness.

For a moment Keira simply blinked at him, confused, and then she seemed to realize just how far out she'd gone. With a startled cry, she began sprinting towards the bank as fast as the slick ground would allow her, catching herself on her hands every time she slipped.

Unfortunately, her actions had not gone unnoticed by the Metal Head. Jak caught a flicker of dark gray movement in his peripheral vision, and it took him a moment to comprehend that the monster had stormed out onto the lake, making a beeline straight for Keira.

Before Jak had the chance to register what was happening, an earth-shattering _crack_ resounded throughout the forest, echoing off of the nearby trees and causing the Metal Head to skid to a clumsy stop. Three pairs of eyes — whether elfin or otherwise — zeroed in on a large split that had formed in the ice, no doubt caused by the armored creature's overwhelming weight.

As they watched, the fissure slithered its way across the surface of the solidified water, zigzagging in two different directions — one end headed for the exact place the Metal Head stood, the other speeding straight towards Keira.

Letting out a whimper of obvious alarm, the monster that had caused this mess in the first place wheeled around and bounded back the way it had come, scrambling onto stable ground quicker than one would have thought possible for an animal of its bulk. It disappeared into the safety of the woods within seconds, leaving nothing but twitching undergrowth in its wake.

The flight of their enemy went unnoticed by both Jak and Keira, the latter of which seemed to have frozen where she stood, watching the crack in the ice snake its way toward her.

Making a snap-decision, Jak launched himself off of the shoreline and sprinted out onto the frozen lake, all thoughts of his own well-being banished to a dark corner of his mind as he made a mad dash for where Keira remained rooted in place, her emerald irises glittering with panic.

_Almost there_, Jak growled wordlessly, lengthening his stride as he raced the fracture in the ice, one hand extended to grab onto Keira the instant he was within reach of her.

Fierce relief surged through Jak's limbs as his fingertips brushed the fabric of Keira's jacket sleeve. One more step and he'd have her out of harm's way.

Just before he had the chance to grip onto the sapphire-haired she-elf's arm, however, the split in the ice darted jaggedly beneath her feet and — with a bone-chilling scream — she plunged into the arctic water below.

* * *

**JKA: Ah, suspense. It drives me nuts to read it, but it's just so much fun to write! XD Oh, and I apologize if any of you thought that Daxter may have been a bit OOC, but hey, how would you react if someone told you your best friends were dead?**

**Anyways, you all know the rules. Reviews, please, or you shall never know what happened to Keira. Mwuhahaha.**

**Oh, and Mika, I have a little surprise for you. Type in this link (and take out the spaces): jakndaxlovingirl. deviantart. com/#/d39boq5. Hope you like it. ^_^**


	7. I Will Never Let You Fall

**JKA: BEHOLD, chapter 7! :D Sorry for the long wait, guys, been busy as of late, and midterms are next week. r_r Nevertheless, big thanks to everyone who reviewed, I can never say how much I appreciate it enough. And Mika, hopefully you can stop strongly disliking me now that this chapter's up. XD Oh, and speaking of the lovely miss MikaHaeli8, anyone who's happened to have read her "Blood Ties" trilogy (and if you haven't I strongly recommend you do), she's just started up a series of vignettes/oneshots centering around moments we didn't get to see within said trilogy, so go check that out. It promises to be one epic collection of short stories. ^_^**

**Alrighty then, plugging is done. Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, bite thy nails in suspense. :D**

* * *

**Chapter 7: I Will Never Let You Fall**

Silence.

The world around him succumbed to a deathly quiet, all background ambience fading away to nothing but emptiness. The only sound that registered in Jak's ears was the pure, terror-filled scream Keira had uttered as she disappeared beneath the surface of the sub-zero waves. That lone resonance reverberated in Jak's mind, shattering all rational thought and practically tearing his whole frame apart.

For one endless second, he simply stared unseeingly at the spot where his closest friend had vanished, her shriek continuing to echo in the vacant abyss inside his head.

Another heartbeat passed, and then the dark warrior jolted to life, his senses flooding back to him in a tidal wave of noise and feeling. His instincts kicked into overdrive, adrenaline coursing through his veins like a stroke of lightning. Intuition told him immediately that there was no way Keira would be able to handle the temperature of the lake, — especially not in her current state of panic — and that revelation alone launched him into action.

Without a second thought, Jak swiftly discarded his jacket — knowing the heavy material would only weigh him down — and took several rapid steps backward. Inhaling deeply and holding the oxygen in his lungs, he crossed the distance between himself and the break in the ice in a few broad strides, leaping off of the less-than-stable ground just before he hit the edge and diving head-first into the water.

The instant Jak's body sliced through the surface of the lake, he was forced to lock his teeth together in order to prevent a shocked gasp from escaping his throat and wasting his air supply. He'd known before he'd jumped that the inland sea would be cold, but he was not prepared for the sheer agony that assaulted him now. It felt as if a thousand knives were being driven into every inch of his flesh all at once, and his blood burned as though it were on fire, reminding him unbearably of the pain of the Dark Eco treatments he'd received nearly four years ago.

Narrowing his eyes and shoving thoughts of the physical pain to the back of his mind, Jak scanned the waters around him, searching for any sign of Keira. Dismay crashed over him when all he discovered was barren, stormy gray liquid whichever way he looked, with absolutely no evidence of the young mechanic's presence in sight.

_Mar dammit, where is she?_ Jak hissed wordlessly, propelling himself agilely through the frigid waves, his gaze constantly darting from side-to-side in hopes of catching a glimpse of Keira.

A splash of color in his peripheral vision caught his eye, and Jak just managed to stop himself from heaving a sigh of relief when he turned and spotted Keira desperately swimming towards him, fear glittering in her emerald irises. Her movements were exhausted, obviously weakened by the harsh climate of the water, and Jak could tell from one look at her expression that she was swiftly running out of air.

Setting his jaw determinedly, Jak kicked out strongly and closed the gap between himself and Keira, stretching out his hand and gripping firmly onto her arm. His eyes locked with hers for one endless moment, and he felt new energy surge though his limbs when he spotted undeniable trust radiating from beneath the apprehension in her gaze.

Breaking away from the force of her stare, Jak twisted around and began paddling back the way he had come, his eyes focused unwaveringly on the breach in the sheet of ice several feet overhead. Keira aided him as best she could, her legs churning wearily beneath her as the Eco-infused elf dragged her towards safety.

_Almost there, _Jak panted silently, his chest burning with a combination of exertion and lack of oxygen. Dim rays of light cast by the murky sky beyond the boundaries of the water danced on the lake's dark surface, providing a beacon leading him straight to fresh air.

Abruptly, Keira's weight in his grasp seemed to multiply, rebelling against him as he struggled to tow her to dry refuge. Alarmed, Jak glanced fleetingly down at her, horror slamming into him like the blow from a wasteland Metal Head and nearly causing him to lose his hold on the she-elf's forearm.

It seemed as if Keira's breath had finally dissipated, for now she hung lifelessly in Jak's grip, clearly having fallen unconscious. Bubbles billowed gently from her mouth as her body automatically attempted to draw in air, only succeeding in filling her lungs with more water.

_Shit!_ Jak cursed to himself, returning his attention to the ever-nearing surface and doubling his efforts to reach it.

_Come on, Keir; hang on for just a little longer._

Just as Jak thought his chest would burst from oxygen deprivation, his head broke the topmost edge of the water, sending a violent shiver rolling down his spine as arctic wind pricked the wetness on his skin.

Coughing and sputtering, the blonde elf swam over to the rim of solid ice surrounding the liquid-filled fissure, still keeping a sturdy hold on Keira's wrist. He slung his free arm on the frozen ground and hauled himself onto dry land, grunting as his chilled muscles ached with the effort.

As soon as he was stable on the ice, Jak spun around and grabbed Keira's arm with his other hand, pulling her up as far as he could. When her other arm was free of the water, he switched his grip so that he held one of her forearms in each hand, making her weight easier to bear.

Feet skidding on the icy ground, Jak gritted his teeth and hauled Keira up over the edge of the jagged pool, her drenched body limp and unresponsive. When she was completely free of the lake's clutches, Jak abandoned his hold on her wrists and knelt beside her. He rolled her gently so that she was lying on her back, trying to ignore the panic gnawing away at his stomach when he noted that her chest was no longer rising and falling as she fought to breathe.

Swallowing the lump that was beginning to form in his throat, Jak reached out and placed two fingers lightly on the side of her neck. The pounding fear threatening to overwhelm him eased a bit when he felt the scarcely distinguishable thrum of her pulse beneath his touch.

Removing his fingers from her ice-cold skin, Jak sat back on his legs for a moment, his dread redoubling when he realized that he had absolutely no idea what to do now. Although his years of saving the world had drilled uncountable lessons into his head, — both good and bad — one of the few things being a universal hero _hadn't_ taught him was how to perform CPR.

_I don't have effing time to worry about it now,_ he growled to himself, leaning over Keira's still form once more and supporting his weight with one arm on either side of her. _I guess I'll just have to wing it and pray to the Precursors I do something right._

Biting his lip agitatedly, Jak tilted Keira's chin back slightly so that he'd have better access to her mouth and carefully pried her jaw open. The brutal shudders wracking his soaked frame hardly registered in his mind as he inhaled deeply, covering Keira's parted lips with his own and releasing the air into her lungs. He straightened up once more when he needed to regain his breath and paused for a moment, searching for any subtle change in his childhood friend's state.

"Come on, Keir, wake up," Jak muttered desperately, his voice trembling from a combination of barely-suppressed fear and the merciless assault of the cruel blizzard winds. Sucking in a long gulp of air, he repeated his actions, this time spotting the faint rise of her chest as the oxygen inflated it. Almost as soon as Jak pulled away again, however, it collapsed back to its original position, eliciting no response from the young mechanic whatsoever.

It wasn't long before Jak began to lose track of just how much time had passed while he continued to try and revive Keira. Each attempt seemed to be getting him nowhere, though, for the sapphire-haired she-elf remained motionless, her skin a chalky pale due to her drastically decreased body temperature. And with each passing second, another trickle of hopeless panic slithered its way down Jak's spine.

"Stay with me, Keira," Jak begged the prone woman as he rested for a moment in order to take in more air. Every muscle, every nerve in his body felt utterly numb, only adding to the ache of the defeat beginning to sear a jagged crack down the middle of his heart. "Please, Keir, I can't lose you…"

Steeling what little resolve he had left, Jak bent down to continue his efforts to awaken his best friend, but not before one last whisper escaped his lips, so quiet that it was lost in the howl of the storm around him.

"I love you…"

* * *

Fearsome winds battered the exterior of the Naughty Ottsel, whipping up the snow lining the street into a blinding flurry and rattling the metallic door in its hinges. Several of the twinkling reindeer adorning the pub's rooftop had been knocked over by the gale, and the glowing ottsel mannequin's Santa hat was hanging off of one of its ears, threatening to blow away at any second.

The atmosphere inside the popular establishment was not much lighter than that of the blizzard outside. Although the evidence of the Christmas spirit still embellished any and all surfaces possible, the mood of the bar's occupants was anything but cheerful.

While the saloon had been closed down to the public since the previous day, the little group of Jak and Keira's friends still remained bunkered down there, none of them able to scrounge up enough enthusiasm to leave.

Samos was currently hovering above one of the abandoned booths as he had been before Torn and Ashelin had returned, his head bowed in sorrow despite his meditative state. The aforementioned tattooed couple was seated on bar stools nearby, their arms just barely brushing as they gazed unseeingly at the countertop, neither saying a word.

Across the bar, Tess was leaning over the side of one of several cardboard boxes surrounding her, buried in Christmas tree decorations up to her hips. She'd asked Torn to set up the pine tree he'd brought in the first night Jak and Keira went missing, and now it stood tall and proud where the Metal-Head-bashing arcade game had once been, as said game had been lost in the midst of the war with the Dark Makers.

Tess sniffed quietly while she sifted through various ornaments and strings of lights, struggling to keep her emotions under control. She had only dredged up enough energy to go through the motions of decorating the tree in order to add a small touch of normality to the otherwise heavy air of her companions. So far her efforts had been in vain, as none of the others had even moved from their respective positions for several hours.

What really flooded her veins with remorse and brought tears springing to her eyes, however, was the fact that Daxter wasn't even with them at all.

In one of the spare bedrooms built behind the main tavern area of the 'Ottsel, the orange rodent-in-question lay on his back atop the blandly-clad double bed, his unfocused stare fixed on the ceiling above him. The wooden door was closed and the shades drawn on the solitary window, cutting him off from the rest of the world around him and throwing the entire room into cold shadow.

Daxter's shoulder twitched unconsciously, a reaction to the stiffness that gripped his muscles as a result of lying in the same place for a good portion of the day. His mind neither registered nor cared about the discomfort, however, as all his thoughts spiraled into a bottomless void of grief for his lost childhood friends.

_I should have gone with him_, Daxter muttered to himself, absentmindedly brushing away the wetness beginning to form beneath his eyes. _I always _told_ Jak that he wouldn't last a second without me. Too cold for me out there, my ass. I'm his best friend, for Precursors sake!_

Heaving a weary sigh, Daxter rolled over onto his side, his blank gaze shifting from the roof overhead to the equally as uninteresting wall.

_Come on, Orange Lightning; quit giving up on your pals so easily. Those two always get themselves out of trouble. I bet they'll come marching in here like nothing ever happened, and good ol' Jakky-boy will have that cocky grin on his face while Keira starts rambling on about some weird machine thingy they found out there or another._

A timid knock on the door interrupted his musings. Daxter glanced unenthusiastically in the direction of the entrance, debating whether or not he should answer whoever it was.

"Come in," he called eventually, his tone uncharacteristically soft and raw from lack of use.

"Daxxie?" a highly familiar voice questioned hesitantly, the door gradually swinging open to reveal Tess standing just beyond. She instantly spotted Daxter lying on his side in the exact position he'd been in before her appearance, his attention still glued to the unoffending wall in front of him.

Biting her lip uncertainly, Tess stepped further into the room and hopped up on the bed, moving closer to her subdued boyfriend.

"How are you holding up?" she asked him quietly, a wave of sadness washing over her when she saw a subtle flicker of pain in his empty eyes.

"Fine," Daxter replied shortly, refusing to look at her.

Tess laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, earning herself only a twitch of his tail in response. "No, you're not. If you were fine, you wouldn't be locked up in here."

The pants-clad rodent said nothing, his gaze never straying from the wall, as if he'd already forgotten Tess' presence.

"Do you want to come help me decorate the Christmas tree?" Tess inquired, changing the subject in hopes of distracting her furry sweetheart from his woes.

"No." Again, the word was quick, cold; his features betraying no emotion whatsoever.

"Please, Daxxie?" the she-elf-turned-ottsel pressed, removing her hand from his shoulder and placing it on his cheek instead, a silent gesture of consolation. "I don't want to spend Christmas Eve putting up ornaments alone."

At this, Daxter sat bolt upright, finally turning to face Tess. His eyes were wide and he wore an expression similar to that of being clubbed over the head with the butt of a morph-gun.

"It's _Christmas Eve_?" he gasped, inflection finally seeping into his words in the form of shock. In truth, he'd completely forgotten about the holidays being so near in the midst of his best friends disappearing.

"Yup," Tess confirmed, a relieved smile tugging at the corners of her mouth now that she'd at least gotten _some_ reaction out of Daxter. "That's why I want your help with the tree. You shouldn't be wasting the day away by yourself, baby."

Daxter blinked at his girlfriend, profound silence stretching between them for one endless moment.

Abruptly, the surprise plastered all over his face melted away, revealing a tidal wave of misery in its wake.

"I haven't been by myself on Christmas Eve since before I met Jak and Keira," the two-foot-tall rodent muttered, a far-away look consuming his bright blue irises, as if he were lost in some distant memory. "For as long as I can remember, those two have just… been there. Every time I try to picture Sandover, Jak and Keira are there with me. We were always the troublesome trio, the three of us. Jak was the ringleader, and Keira would always find a way to get us out of whatever mess we ended up in…"

His voice dropped to scarcely more than a whisper, and his ears flattened themselves against his skull sullenly. "I can't believe I'm going to be spending Christmas Eve without them."

Tess gazed sadly at the orange ottsel, feeling a fresh wave of tears beginning to burn at the corners of her eyes. She had never seen Daxter so downcast before, and to witness it now nearly tore her heart to shreds.

Wordlessly, she pulled Daxter gently to his feet and wound her small arms around him, offering him what little comfort she could. He embraced her fiercely in return, burying his face in her blonde hair and holding her as if the world would end should he ever let go.

"They're gonna come back," Daxter murmured, a slight tremor of grief cracking through the determination in his tone. "They have to. We've been through too much together for them to be taken down now."

"I know," Tess agreed quietly, leaning away from him slightly so she could meet his agonized stare. "Don't worry, Daxxie. You know Jak and Keira better than any of us, and if you say they'll come back, then I believe you."

A half-hearted smile played around the edges of Daxter's lips, some of the familiar lighthearted glow resurfacing in his cobalt irises. "Thanks, angel cheeks."

Tess giggled and gave him a quick kiss. "Now come on, that tree isn't going to decorate itself."

The two ottsels parted, and Daxter allowed a low chuckle to escape his throat as Tess hopped down onto the floor and headed out into the hallway, towing him along behind her.

* * *

Jak gritted his teeth as a brutal shudder wracked his frame, sucking in a sharp breath of air and lowering his mouth to Keira's for what felt like the millionth time. Every muscle in his body ached from the savage winds biting at his skin, and his bare arms trembled as they struggled to support his weight, having gone numb long ago. His thoughts were an incoherent blur, only the pain in his limbs and the sheer hopelessness searing his veins registering in his deadened mind.

It felt as if hours had passed since he'd managed to rescue Keira from the lake, when in reality it had only been minutes. Time had ceased to have any meaning for the dark warrior as he almost mechanically performed CPR on his unresponsive childhood friend, praying to the Precursors, Mar, _anyone_ that Keira would be alright.

Just as he was about to give in and admit his defeat, Jak felt the she-elf's body convulse beneath him, and he straightened up just in time for her eyelids to snap open. She immediately broke out into a violent coughing fit, and Jak slid his chilled arms under her back to support her as she vomited several mouthfuls of water onto the ice beside her.

As soon as she finished retching, Keira collapsed back into his arms, gasping for breath. Her entire figure trembled viciously as the arctic breeze whipped over her drenched skin and clothing, her eyes half-closed as if she were exhausted.

"Keira?" Jak questioned hesitantly, brushing a strand of wet sapphire hair out of her face. "Are you alright?"

The young mechanic turned her head in the direction of Jak's voice, her weary gaze gradually focusing on his features.

"Jak?" she muttered hoarsely, his name distorted and hardly distinguishable due in part to her harsh shuddering and part to the arid burning that currently scorched the walls of her throat.

"I'm right here," Jak assured her, exhaling in an immensely relieved sigh. He removed one arm from behind Keira's back and stretched towards the nearby fracture in the solidified surface of the lake. Picking up his discarded jacket from where it lay, — the one piece of dry clothing between the both of them — he wrapped it around Keira's shoulders, hoping it would help warm her icy skin, if only a fraction.

"Thank you," Keira breathed, her eyelids fluttering closed as if she were simply too drained to keep them open. "For saving me."

"I guess that makes us even now," Jak chuckled, a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, and then abruptly sobered up as hard reality settled in. Keira may have been revived, but there was still the chance that she'd developed hypothermia somewhere between falling in the water and lying unconscious on the ice. The difficult part was over, but they weren't out of the woods yet — figuratively or otherwise.

Moving slowly so as not to startle the fatigued she-elf, Jak slipped his free arm beneath her knees while keeping the other under her torso. His battered muscles screaming in protest, the blonde hero hauled himself to his feet, gently lifting Keira off of the frigid ground and cradling her in his arms.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere warmer," he murmured, beginning to pick his way carefully across the ice and praying fervently that he didn't fall or drop Keira.

Keira mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his still-damp chest in an effort to share his body heat.

Jak's shoulders sagged in relief when he felt his boots hit hard-packed earth, and he immediately lengthened his stride, ducking under the minimal cover of the ivory-blanketed trees.

"Hey, Jak?" Keira whispered as the Eco-infused elf trekked through the closely-packed woods, his gaze constantly scanning their surroundings in search of some form of shelter.

"Yeah?" he inquired distractedly, glancing down at her whilst keeping one eye open for anything that could offer them refuge from the storm.

The teal-haired woman buried her face in the fabric of Jak's soggy shirt, causing whatever her response was to be muffled by his chest and impossible to understand.

"What?" Jak pressed curiously, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

For a moment it appeared as if Keira weren't going to answer, her face still hidden as if she were considering whether or not she really wanted to clarify what she'd said.

Eventually, she lifted her head from where it rested in the place where his neck and shoulder met, her emerald gaze locking with his.

"I love you, too," she admitted so quietly that her voice was nearly lost in the roar of the wind.

Jak abruptly halted in his tracks, every nerve in his body jolting to a stop as those four little words echoed in his head, over and over, all other coherent thought wiped clean from his mind.

"Y-you heard me earlier?" he stammered, referring to the confession he'd made when he'd been trying to awaken Keira.

To his surprise, the mechanic let out a short burst of giggles — albeit weakly, but laugh she did nonetheless.

"Yes, I did," she informed him, another hoarse giggle escaping her throat as his eyes widened substantially. "I may have been unconscious, Jak, but that doesn't mean I couldn't hear."

Embarrassment crashed over Jak like running a zoomer headlong into a brick wall, causing his stomach to twist uncomfortably. Never before had he wished so feverishly that he had a free hand, for the fact that he was carrying Keira prevented him from hiding the dark crimson blush rising to stain his cheeks.

"Oh…" he replied lamely, struggling to regain his bearings as all of his thought processes seemed to have spontaneously combusted.

Keira blinked patiently up at him, a small smile gracing her tired features.

After a long moment, Jak managed to regain control of himself, everything Keira had said finally falling into place within his jumbled mind.

"You… love me?" he questioned slowly, testing out each word carefully before he voiced it.

Rather than answer aloud, Keira simply nodded, waiting calmly for his reaction.

A beat of tense silence passed between them, and then Jak's mouth gradually began to curve upwards in a face-splitting grin. Without giving Keira a chance to speak, he leant down to her level and claimed her cold lips with his own in an earth-shattering kiss, the raging noise of the blizzard around them succumbing to a peaceful quiet.

_Precursors, why didn't I tell her this sooner?_ Jak wondered idly as his eyelids slid closed of their own accord, consumed in the passion of the moment.

Only the need for air separated the two lifelong companions, and even then Jak's gaze did not stray from Keira's as she cuddled closer to his chest, his arms tightening their hold on her in response.

Suddenly, the fearsome winds kicked up a notch around them, sending a violent shiver coursing through both of their bodies as it whipped against their still-drying clothes and hair.

"I say we find somewhere a bit warmer to continue this discussion," Jak suggested seriously, his concern for Keira's health rekindled as he began plowing through the knee-deep snow once more.

Keira just nodded again, the chattering of her teeth preventing her from forming an articulate sentence. She pressed a quick kiss to Jak's neck, and then settled more comfortably in his arms to wait out what was sure to be a long hunt for shelter.

* * *

**JKA: FINALLY, the truth is revealed! Now I can stop writing so much awkwardness between those two and get to the real action. ;) Hope you all liked the little Daxter/Tess moment in there, too, that couple gets so little attention.**

**I can't garuntee I'll have chapter 8 up any sooner than this one, as I've got an extremely busy schedule ahead of me for the next week and a half or so. But I HAVE been planning the next chapter since I started this story, so with any luck it will be worth the wait. :D**

**... if you all review, that is. You know how it goes. ;)**


	8. I Can't Keep My Eyes Off of You

**JKA: Well, after keeping you all waiting for far too long, I bring you chapter 8! For once, I actually tried writing this chapter with music playing in the background, and it turned out far better than I thought I would. So, just in case you were wondering, the songs that inspired the mood of this were "You and Me" by Lifehouse and "My Love" by Sia. Also big thanks to everyone that reviewed, you guys are awesome. Anyway, you all know the drill. Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, enjoy the steaminess in this chapter. ;)**

****

P.S. A few of you (not naming names) have mentioned that I tend to use the phrase "Eco-infused elf" a lot when pertaining to Jak. I'd just like to point out that it's by far not the only term I use to describe him, and I don't use it any more than I use the phrase dark warrior, three-time world-savior, ect. I do appreciate the feedback, however, and I completely cut the term out of this chapter altogether. That would be all, now shush JKA so they can just read the story. :)

* * *

**Chapter 8: I Can't Keep My Eyes Off of You**

_**Jak**_

I've begun to lose track of how long I've been walking. It feels like it's been hours — hell, it probably has, seeing as how the clouds are pretty much black by now. Isn't that just perfect, I've been stomping around out here for half of the day, carrying Keira around the entire time; and now night has fallen and we still haven't found somewhere safe to crash until morning.

Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure my ears have turned to icicles and my entire body's gone numb. Precursors, I don't think I've ever been this cold in my life. Of course, the Mar-damn wind _really_ isn't helping, either, even though my clothes have long dried since our little escapade earlier.

Heaving a sigh, — and scowling when my breath billows in a steamy cloud around my face — I glance down at Keira. I'm actually surprised I'm still able to hold her when considering that I can't feel my arms, but she doesn't seem to mind the chill as much as I am. She's still shivering, but it's definitely not as bad as it was when I pulled her out of the lake. Her breathing is stronger, too, which can only be a good sign, right?

She looks like she's asleep, although I could be wrong. It certainly _seems_ like it, — if her closed eyes and the way her head's resting almost limply against my chest is any indication — but I could've sworn I saw her smile a second ago… Huh, what does it matter anyway? After nearly drowning this afternoon, she deserves a bit of rest.

Although… should I really be letting her sleep when there's the chance she's got hypothermia? Isn't it possible for her to slip into a coma if that's the case? Because that is the absolute _last_ thing we need right now.

But then again, her skin's pretty much back to its normal color, and I can feel her body heat against me…

… Sweet Precursors, she's beautiful. I still can't believe it took me this long to tell her how I feel about her. We should have ended up where we are now _years_ ago. Geez, I feel like a jackass for waiting until she nearly _died_ just to say "I love you" to her face. And even then I only said it because I thought she couldn't hear me…

Well, better late than never, I guess. It probably wouldn't have been so difficult if Daxter hadn't made some irritating game out of interrupting Keira and I whenever he got the chance.

Pfft, who am I to complain? It's not like I actually did anything to make up for our ruined moments over the years. At least we're together now. That's all that really matters in the long-haul.

Alright, focus Jak. You're supposed to be looking for shelter. You can't afford to let yourself get distracted right now… even if Keira's face is less than half-a-foot away from yours…

Ugh, dammit! Ok, think about something else, namely _not freezing to death out here_. That would be one shitty way to go, so let's _not_ let that happen, shall we?

Snapping back to reality, I scan our surroundings for what feels like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, searching for _anything_ that could offer us refuge from the blizzard. A low growl slides between my teeth when I discover nothing but ivory-covered trees and about three feet of snow in every direction.

So much for finding someplace warm to bunker down in.

With nothing nearby to hold my interest, my thoughts inevitably wander back to Keira.

Where exactly are we going from here, anyway? Assuming we make it out of this Precursor-forsaken forest before we end up as giant blocks of ice, what's mine and Keira's relationship heading towards? Everything's just always gone so naturally with her… Huh, I don't even remember when I truly fell in love with her. It just sort of… happened.

So really, what's next for us? I've never actually put any thought into what would happen _after_ Keira found out I love her. Obviously we aren't "just friends" anymore, not that I even wanted to be stuck there in the first place.

I could always take Daxter's "perfect relationship" advice, I guess, but since when has anything he said every really been helpful? Well, apart from the random instructions he has a habit of telling me out of nowhere that always seem to point us in the right direction, but that's irrelevant. And besides, Keira and I have only been a "couple" for what, four hours? Hell, probably less. It's not like I'm gonna just turn to her and go, "Hey, Keira, since we've been dating for almost half a day, do you wanna sleep with me?"

Yeah, I'm sure that would go over _real_ well. If Keira didn't murder me for asking her for sex, then her father definitely would. And personally, I'd rather die out in this effing snowstorm than be the victim of a homicide caused by a little green old man.

Besides, Keira doesn't want that anyway… does she?

Another quick glance down at her peaceful face tells me probably not. Keira may not be a fragile little girl, but she's got high morals — probably due to the fact she grew up with Samos constantly preaching to her about _everything_. Knowing her, she'll probably want to "do the right thing" and wait until marriage, if only to please her father.

Then again… she's never been as forward in regards to our relationship as she was at the Bloody Hook all those months ago, or even today for that matter. It's not as if she's still the daddy's girl she was back in Sandover either, if the way she acted during the Kras racing championship was any indication. Two years alone in Haven City can do that to a person.

…what if she _does_ want to take things further?

Gah, I've gotta stop thinking about all this shit. I'm going to give myself a brain hemorrhage.

A loud, feral rumble breaks me out of my reverie, bringing my attention back to the world around me. I grimace as my stomach voices its disdain over the fact that I haven't eaten in two days, causing Keira to shift restlessly in my arms. I adjust my hold on her and press a quick kiss to her forehead, chuckling a bit when she smiles in her sleep, her fingers clutching the fabric of my t-shirt unconsciously.

For the love of Mar, I can't believe I was stupid enough to wear a _t-shirt_ out here of all things… Actually, it wasn't so bad when I had my jacket on, but since Keira's using it as a blanket at the moment I guess I'll just have to stick out the cold.

A splash of darkness against the white background catches my eye, and I turn my head to spot the entrance of what appears to be a stone cave, half-hidden behind a wall of ice-covered ferns. It looks as though it's about the same size as the one Keira and I stayed in the night I found her, and I rush toward it as fast as the ever-deepening snow will let me, praying that it'll mean shelter from this damn storm.

* * *

Keira dragged her eyes open groggily, a gaping yawn escaping her throat. She rolled over onto her side, groaning when her battered muscles screamed in protest at the movement.

It took her a moment to realize that the warmth she'd felt when she'd first fallen asleep was no longer present against her side, and that her change of position shouldn't have been possible if she were being carried. Her senses gradually seeped into her tired mind, and she slowly registered that whatever surface she was lying on was far from comfortable. She also took note of the fact that a heavy jacket was acting as a makeshift blanket splayed over her torso. A bright orange light flickered a few feet away from her face, and she forced her heavy eyelids to widen completely in order to examine it more closely.

She blinked in surprise when she observed that the glow was emanating from a small campfire someone had lit in the center of wherever she was, its embers crackling almost hypnotically in the otherwise hushed air.

_What…?_ she wondered dazedly, struggling into a sitting position and studying her surroundings in confusion.

Smooth, earthen walls encompassed the area around her, arching upwards to meet one another and form a domed roof overhead. Beneath her, the floor was made of cool, uneven rock, its hard surface the obvious cause for her discomfort in sitting on it. Warm golden light flickered on the shadowed walls, forever changing shape as the campfire that it emanated from danced to some unheard rhythm.

At the far end of the stone shelter, a large opening that was no doubt the exit had been barricaded with densely-packed snow, muffling the constant roar of the blizzard outside.

"Good to see you back with the living," a deep, highly familiar voice murmured, startling the young mechanic. She glanced over at the opposite side of the fire, heaving a sigh of relief when she spotted Jak seated nearby, his gaze locked on the glimmering flames.

"How long was I out?" she inquired curiously, scooting closer to the heat source and relaxing as its proximity soothed her aching body. She clutched the jacket — which she now realized to be Jak's — more tightly around her shoulders, letting the warmness of the fire soak in.

"A few hours," Jak replied, shifting his focus up to her face, his expression unreadable. "I lost track of time a while ago."

Keira exhaled in a loud gust, studying Jak's features quietly as the glow from the fire played across his skin.

Jak examined her calm expression as well, his level stare never straying from her as he discreetly checked for any signs of illness in her overall demeanor. Her emerald irises were clear as she gazed at him, her complexion restored to its normal color, and shivers no longer tortured her slim frame.

_She seems perfectly fine,_ the dark warrior mused, feeling his anxiety ebb away as the she-elf opposite him continued to watch him wordlessly, her head tilted slightly to one side. _I guess that means we're in the clear for now._

"What?" Keira asked inquisitively, as if she could sense the subtle lift in his mood.

For a moment Jak remained silent, his eyes locked with hers, debating whether or not he truly wanted to tell her what was on his mind. He was reluctant to display any form of weakness, even in front of Keira, and confiding in her the vulnerability he'd experienced for the past several hours would be almost painfully going against the grain.

"You really had me scared today," he finally admitted under his breath, breaking away from the force of her stare self-consciously. "I thought… I thought I was going to lose you."

Understanding flashed briefly in Keira's deep green orbs, and she offered him a gentle smile, an attempt at reassurance that he failed to notice. "Jak, you don't need to be afraid of losing me. I'll always be here for you, and nothing's going to change that."

"Keir, you almost _died_," Jak muttered, returning his focus to her, his cerulean gaze blazing with intensity. "You have no idea what that felt like. When I pulled you out of the lake, and you weren't breathing… that was the most terrifying moment of my life."

A beat of tense silence passed between the two, Jak's eyes never freeing Keira from their burning captivity. The teal-haired woman's eyebrows furrowed an infinitesimal amount, as if she were concentrating on how to word a response to Jak's confession.

After another immeasurable moment, Keira let out a sigh and hauled herself rather shakily to her feet, discarding Jak's jacket on the ground. She treaded lightly around the campfire, taking a seat beside the subdued elf. Without a word, she laid her hand softly on his arm, holding his gaze in her own, forest-emerald to ocean-blue.

"Jak, I _do_ know what that feels like," she whispered, rubbing his bare arm absentmindedly with her thumb. "I'm not the only one that almost lost their life out here, remember? And what about all the times you've gone out on missions in the past, or paraded around saving the world? Do you think I didn't drive myself crazy every minute of every day, wondering if you were going to come back in one piece… or at all?"

Jak simply stared down at her in surprise, unable to come up with a reply as he processed her words. It hadn't actually occurred to him that Keira may have felt the fear — the _agony_ — that he'd endured that afternoon as well, that she would be familiar with it.

_Of course she knows what it's like, dumbass_, some part of his dazed mind reprimanded him. _Don't forget, she loves you, too._

"You're right," Jak agreed almost inaudibly, winding one arm around her shoulders instinctively and pulling her closer to him. "I'm sorry, Keir. I'm just not used to feeling so… helpless. I don't think I'd ever been really, truly scared of anything before today... I hated feeling like that."

"It's alright," Keira soothed him, stretching up to kiss his cheek and then resting her head against his shoulder. "I forgive you."

"Good," Jak chuckled, his tone underlain with an edge of mock-sternness. "Just don't do anything that risky again."

"I'll keep that in mind," the mechanic laughed, allowing her eyelids to slide closed as she exhaled in a content sigh.

Silence stretched between the couple once more, although this break in conversation was much more comfortable than the last. Jak listened to Keira's steady breathing, leaning his head against the top of hers and finding himself being lulled to sleep by the even rhythm mixed with the warmth from the fire.

"Hey, Jak?" Keira questioned eventually, her voice hushed as though she were afraid of disturbing the peace of the air around them. "Isn't tonight Christmas Eve?"

The blonde hero started as he realized she was right, his mouth thinning into a grim line. "Huh, I guess it is."

_It'll be the first Christmas Eve I can remember spending without Daxter…_ he sighed to himself, feeling a dull ache pierce his heart like the blow of a Metal Head's claw. The idea of spending the holiday without his best friend there was a painful prospect, as it just wouldn't be the same without the orange ottsel's enthusiasm and endless chatter.

"It won't be much of a celebration without Daddy and Daxter," Keira murmured as if she knew exactly what Jak was thinking, her words laced with sorrow.

Unsure how to put voice to the remorse coursing through his veins, Jak simply nodded numbly. Keira twined her fingers through his and give his hand a squeeze, both offering comfort and seeking it.

"How do you think they're feeling right now?" she wondered idly, shifting closer to him so that her side was directly pressed against his.

"They're probably missing us just as much as we're missing them," Jak answered honestly, wrapping his other arm around her so that he held her in a full embrace. "And if that's the case, then I say we just get back to them as fast as we can — provided we make it through the Mar-damn blizzard first."

At the mention of the less-than-pleasant weather, Keira shuddered as if she were cold, nestling more securely into the circle of Jak's arms.

"You know, you'd be warmer if you took your clothes off," the three-time world-savior joked half-heartedly, attempting to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Almost as soon as the statement was out of his mouth, however, he realized the implications of what he'd just said, and he slapped a gloved hand over his mouth as Keira's entire body stiffened.

The sapphire-haired she-elf glanced fleetingly up at him, her eyes wide and a dark blush staining her cheeks that no doubt reflected the color of Jak's own face.

_Precursors, how come every time I open my mouth I just end up making things awkward?_ Jak scolded himself, releasing his hold on Keira in hopes of putting some space between himself and his girlfriend of about six hours. Keira made no objection to this movement, for she was far too busy struggling to hide her burning face behind her hand.

"I didn't mean it like that," Jak muttered weakly, making a pitiful attempt to redeem his mistake. "I was just saying that without clothes to absorb the cold, you'd warm up faster. Survival one-oh-one, you know."

Keira cleared her throat uncomfortably, her gaze flickering to him and away again just as quickly. "Right."

Another hush fell over the elfin duo, tension crackling between them like an electric current. Jak kept his attention firmly fixed on the campfire that continued to twirl in the center of the cave, resisting the urge to kick himself for his lapse of unintelligence. Beside him, Keira curled her knees up to her chest and folded her arms over them, resting her chin atop her forearms.

Neither one knew how much time passed in silence, but it seemed as if hours had flown by before one of them finally spoke.

"Jak?" Keira asked hesitantly, her eyes slightly unfocused as she stared into the glow of the fire, appearing as though she were deep in thought.

"Yeah?" Jak inquired just as uncertainly, risking a glance at her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion in response to the distance in her gaze.

"What if we don't make it out of here?"

The question was scarcely audible, hardly more than a breath. Jak simply watched her for a moment, wondering if he'd heard her right.

"What?" he pressed, his head tilting unconsciously to one side in bewilderment.

"I said, what if we don't make it back to Haven?" Keira repeated, her focus never straying from the rippling light of the flames. Her expression was unreadable, giving Jak no hint whatsoever as to what she could have been thinking.

"We _will_ make it back," he assured her, reaching out and laying one hand timidly on her shoulder. He relaxed minutely when she made no move to retreat from his touch. "I can promise you that much, Keir. I'll get us both home in one piece."

"But think about it, Jak," Keira insisted, finally turning to face him. Jak's muscles went rigid with shock when he spotted the overwhelming apprehension glittering in her emerald irises. "We've only been out here for two days, and already both of us have almost died once. Who's to say something bad won't happen to one of us tomorrow? What if next time, instead of a cliff, you end up buried under an avalanche? Or another Metal Head attacks us, and you can't fight it off?"

"Keira, nothing is going to happen to either of us," Jak argued fiercely, resting his free hand on her other shoulder, his gaze boring into hers. "I can take care of myself, and I'll be damned if I let you get hurt again while I'm around."

The mechanic exhaled in a weary sigh, an anxious frown darkening her normally cheerful features.

"I suppose you're right," she admitted in a whisper, breaking away from the compelling force of his cerulean stare. "You can't honestly say there isn't a chance one of us will end up in trouble again, though."

"Maybe I can't," Jak conceded just as quietly. He removed his grip on one of her shoulders, moving his hand so that he could tilt her chin upwards with his index finger, causing her to meet his eyes once more. "But I _can_ do everything in my power to prevent it. And you know I'd go through hell and back to keep you safe, Keira."

A small, reluctant smile graced his girlfriend's expression, and she closed the distance between herself and the dark warrior, winding her arms loosely around his neck. Fingers knotted in his green-tinted hair, Keira pulled his face down to the level of hers and claimed his lips with her own in a brief, fiery kiss.

"I know," she breathed when they separated, keeping her gaze locked with his. "I love you, Jak."

"I love you, too," Jak answered, cursing himself when a slight tremor rumbled in his voice. Despite the fact that Keira was already aware of how he felt about her, saying it when he knew she was listening was a lot different than saying it when he'd thought she was unconscious.

Her smile a full-blown grin now, Keira stretched up to kiss him again, this one longer and more passionate than the last. A few feet away from them, the crackling of the fire seemed to kick up a notch, the shimmering of its bright orange glow reflecting the heat of the couple's lip-lock.

Jak locked his arms around Keira's waist, pulling her flush against his body and holding her as if she would disappear with the next flicker of the flames beside them. The she-elf, in turn, let her fingers trail down the back of his neck, sending shivers cascading down Jak's spine.

Slowly, Keira maneuvered so that she was all but sitting in Jak's lap, unwinding one arm from its position around his neck and pressing against his chest with her hand, causing him to lie flat on the rocky floor of the cave. She followed his motion without removing her mouth from his, her legs straddling either side of his waist. Almost discreetly, her hands travelled down over the contours of his upper body, coming to a halt at the hem of his shirt.

Her fingers had only just curled around the fabric when a firm grip on her wrists stopped her from going any further. She pulled a few inches away from Jak so she could meet his eyes, one eyebrow quirked questioningly.

"Um… Keira?" Jak stammered uncertainly, still grasping her forearms while his mind struggled to make sense of her actions. "What are you doing?"

Rather than respond, Keira simply gazed down at him, the calm resolve swimming in her deep green irises making the answer almost blatantly obvious.

"But… are you sure?" Jak pressed, disbelief coloring his tone. He released Keira's wrists, placing his palm hesitantly against her cheek instead.

"Completely," Keira replied without hesitation, offering him a warm smile. It faded almost instantly, however, when he simply continued to stare up at her with a dumbfounded expression. "Jak, I know I can trust you to look out for me, and I know that you can get yourself out of pretty much any mess you stumble into. But even _you_ admitted that you can't guarantee something isn't going to happen to one — or both — of us tomorrow; or hell, maybe even a week from now, depending on how long we end up stuck out here."

"Yeah, but —" Jak tried to interrupt, but Keira held up one finger to cut him off.

"Let me finish," she requested, and he lapsed into silence, watching her cautiously as she inhaled deeply, almost as though trying to steady herself. "Jak, I… I want to be with you. We may never have another chance like this, especially if our streak of bad luck continues. I want to do this with you… before it's too late."

_Is she really saying what I think she's saying?_ Jak wondered numbly, observing the young woman above him to see if he could spot any wavering in her resolution. There was none, only a quiet determination mingling with the soft affection sparkling in her eyes.

_Well, that answers that question. But is now really the right time? I mean, we're in a Precursor-forsaken _cave_, of all places…_

Several tense heartbeats passed as Jak considered Keira's words, all the while never breaking his gaze away from hers. She had a valid point, after all; neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring. What if something _did_ happen to either of them, and they never had another opportunity to be together like this?

_It's now or never._

Refocusing on Keira's beautiful face once more, her features framed in a curtain of silky blue hair and the light of the fire creating elegant patterns on her skin, Jak realized he'd known his decision all along.

With a roguish smirk, the dark warrior rejoined his lips with hers. Somewhere nearby, the ever-burning flames of the campfire crackled with a newfound intensity.

_Cosí abbiamo snuggle in vicino nel buio, e teniamo l'altro molto caldo._

_

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**JKA: Ahh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this chapter. XD I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't forget to leave a review, or you know what will happen. :P**

**Oh, and big thanks to Mika for straightening out my Italian. Maybe I should learn to speak it myself one of these days. ^^' And for anyone who is curious about said Italian line's translation, it's the very last line from the song "The Tip of the Iceberg" by Owl City.**


	9. Dark Reality

**JKA: Yay, update! :D Not much to say about this chapter, except for the fact that it's about midnight right now and I'm uber tired, but I wanted to get this posted for you all so forgive me if you spot any mistakes. Big thanks to everyone who reviewed (Marn, where'd you disappear to?), and please continue to do so, because I'd say this story's only got about three chapters left, give or take. Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, fall off thy seat in suspense, whatever floats your boat.**

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**Chapter 9: Dark Reality**

_Panic._

_Pure, all-consuming panic ripped through his body like wildfire. An entire horde of snarling creatures crashed down upon him, ivory claws flashing in the sunlight and glittering fangs bared._

_Within seconds, he was torn away from the one beside him, losing sight of her completely as he was buried beneath a snarling tide of golden skull gems and blurs of indigo._

_Uttering an almost animalistic war cry, he surged upwards with all his strength, dislodging the monsters that clung to him and whipping around to face the nearest one. A well-aimed blow to the neck from his foot brought it down before it had the chance to foresee his attack. Its lifeless body hit the icy ground and tripped up its comrades as they fought to reach their prey, a bloodthirsty gleam in their soulless black eyes._

_Smirking in cruel satisfaction, he leapt at the next creature within range, delivering a punch to its head that caved in the side of its skull, effectively granting it the same fate as its accomplice. Several more enemies fell in the same manner within moments, ebony blood pooling from their wounds and staining the snow with gruesome patterns._

_He was unable to keep up this tactic for long, however, as one brave monster tackled him from behind, carving one solitary gash into the length of his back and then retreating once more, nimbly avoiding his attempt at retaliation. A low, frustrated growl slid between his teeth as he quickly struck down his assailant, the Eco in his veins begging to be released, although it was not enough to provide a full transformation._

_Quite suddenly, a scream that was distinctly human split the battle-filled air, freezing him in his tracks. Another creature inflicted a fresh wound upon his leg, taking advantage of his distraction, but the pain did not register in his abruptly hollowed mind. All he could hear was that single shriek, its high-pitched tone echoing in his head, a sound filled to the brim with terror._

_Eyes swiftly scanning the sea of fighting, cold dread knotted in his stomach and sent a jolt racing down his spine as he spotted the source of the cry._

_Several yards away, the crisp powder covering the earth was marred, not with the blood of his enemies, but with a thick pool of the deepest crimson. In the center of the ghastly flood lay the one he cared for most — the one he swore to protect. Horrifying wounds were gouged into nearly every inch of her flesh, dripping scarlet trails along her pale skin as they ran with blood._

_A lone dark monster hovered over her, its teeth embedded deep in her throat as she writhed beneath it. Her struggles were rapidly becoming weaker as the severity of her injuries took its toll, her life draining out of her with every second that ticked by._

_All thoughts of self-preservation driven from his thoughts, he forced his way through the tightly-packed armored bodies, disposing of anything that dared to try and halt his progress. The hammering of his heart drowned out all other noise as he approached her, his eyes trained on her blood-streaked face as her own gaze flickered to meet his. A calm acceptance lingered behind those irises even as the light in them began to fade, conveying a message more powerful than a thousand words ever could have expressed._

_It seemed as if an eternity had passed when he finally reached her, throwing her attacker off with one swipe of his hand and sending it sailing into a nearby tree. Breath held in terror, he knelt beside her, lifting her upper body gently off of the ground, the growls of the creatures around them falling on deaf ears._

_Her head hung limply over his arm as she was moved, arms lying uselessly at her sides, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed stilled._

_She was gone._

"NO!"

Jak shot up from where he lay on the rugged earthen floor, his outburst of denial reverberating in the still air of the dimly-lit cave and ringing in his ears. A cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck, plastering his hair to his forehead and causing shivers to crawl along his skin. His chest heaved as he gasped for breath, the sickening images of his dream swimming in the forefront of his mind, an indistinct haze of pain and dread.

_Not again…_ he sighed wordlessly, burying his face in his hands and inhaling deeply in an attempt to steady himself. It turned out to be a useless endeavor, as his thoughts continued to revolve around his nightmare. A desolate fear burned in his veins, a mere echo of the all-consuming terror he'd felt when holding Keira's lifeless body in his arms.

To say the dream had unnerved him would have been a drastic understatement, for not only was it petrifying in its own right, but it bore remarkable similarities to the nightmare he'd experienced only two nights ago. The fact that he'd had the same vision twice seemed to endow it with certain significance — as to what exactly that significance _was_, he was unsure.

He was almost afraid to admit it, even to himself, but it almost felt as if the dream were trying to _warn_ him of something.

A faint stirring beside him snapped him out of his reverie. Glancing to his left, Jak's eyes came to rest on Keira's slender form as she gradually awoke, her eyelids fluttering tiredly and a content yawn escaping her throat. After a moment she straightened up into a sitting position, the drowsiness in her gaze dispersing as her emerald irises met his cerulean, a small smile gracing her features.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully, adjusting her jacket so that it no longer hung crookedly on her shoulders. She and Jak had both wisely decided to don some clothes after their… activities the previous night, seeing as how the campfire had fizzled out before they fell asleep, bringing with it a noticeable drop in temperature.

The dark warrior didn't respond to her words, memories of his dream still swirling in his head like thin vapors of cloud, preventing him from forming a coherent reply.

Silence stretched between the two for an immeasurable length of time while Jak's mood seemed to register in Keira's thoughts. A shadow darkened her demeanor as she studied her boyfriend's blank expression, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, her years spent growing up reading his eyes allowing her to instinctively know that something was indeed troubling him.

"Nothing," Jak lied immediately, still reluctant to display any form of weakness in front of Keira.

"I know you better than that, Jak," the mechanic reprimanded him, running her fingers through her sapphire hair — ruffled from sleep, among other reasons — in exasperation.

For a moment Jak considered refusing to answer her, and then he exhaled wearily, foreseeing that she would never drop the issue unless he confided in her.

"Alright," he muttered, breaking away from the force of her anxious stare in order to hide the apprehension that was no doubt present in his eyes. "I… had another dream."

"What was it about?" Keira pressed gently, laying her hand comfortingly on his arm.

"It was… almost the same as the last one I had," Jak informed her, returning his gaze to hers, drawing strength from those endless pools of green. "There were a few things that were different, but for the most part it was identical to the other dream… the other nightmare…"

His voice trailed away uncertainly, his focus once more sliding away from her, coming to rest on the blackened remains of their once-blazing fire. Keira did not try to question him on what exactly had happened in his reoccurring dream, for she could tell from one look at his expression that he would rather keep that particular detail to himself.

"I think it's a warning," the blonde hero admitted quietly, his eyes distant as he watched the long-stilled fire. He curled his legs almost defensively up to his chest, winding his arms around them and resting his chin on his knees. "Though just what it's trying to warn me _about_, I don't know…"

Another hush fell over the duo as Keira tried to absorb Jak's statement and the latter considered it. A thousand possible hidden meanings behind his visions bounced around in his head, each more unlikely than the last. Only one seemed to stand out above the rest, the single interpretation that was at once the most plausible and the most painful — if the most striking similarities between his nightmares were anything to go by.

…he just prayed to the Precursors that he was wrong.

"Well, I'm sure whatever it is, we'll be able to handle it," Keira declared eventually, resting her palm against his cheek so that he automatically turned to face her. "Just remember that if you decide you want to talk about it, I'm all ears."

The corners of Jak's mouth curved upwards in a reluctant smile. "Thanks, Keira."

Removing one arm from where it was still draped over his knees, Jak leaned towards Keira and wrapped it around her waist instead. Smirking, he pulled her closer and pressed a quick kiss to her waiting lips.

"Now come on," the emerald-eyed she-elf murmured when they separated, nipping at the rim of Jak's ear playfully and then hauling herself to her feet, brushing off the seat of her pants absentmindedly. "The sooner we set out, the sooner we get back to Haven."

Nodding once, Jak rose beside his girlfriend, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck lazily. "Judging by how far we travelled yesterday, if we keep moving in the same direction for the rest of the morning, then we should end up at the city entrance by this afternoon."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Keira agreed easily, twining her fingers through Jak's and giving his hand an affectionate squeeze.

Flashing her a crooked grin, Jak led her over to the cave exit, pausing before the snowy barrier he'd constructed the previous night. Sucking in a sharp breath, he broke through the hard-packed flurry in roughly the same fashion as when he'd dealt with the icy wall protecting them in the first cave they'd used as shelter.

A frigid blast of air whipped through the jagged hole he'd bashed in the side of the thickened powder, causing a shiver to wrack both his and Keira's bodies as it pricked at their skin.

"Hold on a second," Keira gasped as Jak made to step outside, her eyes widening in blatant shock. "Is that _sunlight_?"

Brow furrowing in confusion, Jak followed the line of Keira's gaze, his own muscles tensing in surprise as he took in the sight of the forest beyond the boundaries of their refuge.

What had once been a roaring snowstorm appeared to have melted away overnight, leaving a dazzling realm of light in its wake. A few patches of murky gray clouds remained in the gale's aftermath, but otherwise a clear blue sky stretched over the topmost edges of the trees. The sun was steadily climbing the eastern horizon, casting its warm rays over nearly every inch of the woods. Fresh snow had gathered on any and all surfaces imaginable, blanketing the ground and bleaching the whole world to stark white.

The childhood friends was forced to shield their eyes as they absorbed the breathtaking scene around them, for the tiny ivory crystals that enveloped the forest sparkled with a blinding radiance wherever the morning light brushed them.

"It's so beautiful…" Keira breathed, her fingers sliding out of Jak's as she treaded almost reverently out into the undisturbed snow, gazing at the natural wonder in awe.

Jak simply nodded as he followed her out into the cool daylight, too stunned to even consider speaking.

"Maybe this means travelling will be easy-going today," the teal-haired woman suggested optimistically, sporting a broad grin nearly as incandescent as the woods around her.

Beside her, Jak automatically smiled in agreement, but there was no real concurrence behind the gesture. For reasons beyond him, the sudden appearance of clear weather had set all of his most foreboding instincts precariously on-edge. Something within his subconscious warned him that while the blizzard may be over, the _real_ storm was only just beginning.

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A thin mist billowed in front of the duo's faces as they trekked through the knee-deep — or in Keira's case, mid-thigh — snow, the persistent sunlight dispersing each foggy breath within seconds. While the strangely comfortable weather did nothing to diminish the amount of fluffy powder covering the surrounding foliage, it provided a steady rise in temperature, making the companions' journey far easier than it had been for the past several days.

The couple of only twenty-four hours had been plowing through the remnants of the snowstorm for the better part of the day, and by now the sun was beginning its descent towards the western edge where land and sky met. Neither of them knew just how far they'd been hiking, but Jak felt confident that they were nearing the entrance to Haven City, for his sharp senses were beginning to pick up faint traces of the all-too-familiar polluted air shrouding their home.

Despite his assurance in their course, however, Jak had still been unable to shake the ominous feeling that had plagued him since they'd departed from the cave. It was as if the very atmosphere crackled with tension, concealing whatever unknown dangers lie in wait for them, poised to strike at any moment.

_Why do I feel so ill-at-ease?_ he wondered, not for the first time in the past few hours. _What else could this Mar-damn jungle possibly have to throw at us?_

Before he had the chance to really ponder the issue, the densely-packed trees lining either side of them abruptly ended, branching out in a wide arc to border the perimeter of a rounded clearing. The icy ground was rock-strewn, giving the whole area a rugged look, but apart from that the open space was vacant.

What really caught and held Jak and Keira's attention, however, was the colossal wall that edged the far side of the glade. In its center resided a heavy metal door — their gateway to civilization.

"Sweet Precursors…" Keira whispered, her voice hoarse and her eyes wide, as if she could hardly believe what she was seeing. "Is that really…?"

"The exit?" Jak finished for her, a broad grin managing to stretch across his face despite his edginess. "Yeah, it is. Haven City's just on the other side of that wall."

"Thank Mar!" Keira cried, throwing her arms around Jak unexpectedly and pulling him into a tight embrace. The dark warrior hugged her back just as fiercely, immense relief flooding his veins and effectively silencing the warning his instincts were persistently screaming at him.

After a moment the two lifelong companions separated, both returning their attention to the city entrance, newfound energy surging through their limbs at the prospect of _finally_ having the familiar comforts of home within their reach.

Unable to contain her enthusiasm, Keira stepped away from her boyfriend and rushed towards the massive gate as fast as the snow would allow her, thoughts of a roof over her head and the first meal she'd had in days driving her onward. Jak watched her go for a few seconds, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

She had made it about halfway across the clearing when all of Jak's earlier unease slammed into him with the force of a Peacemaker blast, driving the wind from his lungs. His heart pounded almost deafeningly in his ears and his muscles tautened as if preparing for an attack, cold dread trickling its way down his spine.

He wasn't sure how he sensed it, but in that one instant, he knew that something was about to go terribly wrong.

"Keira, _stop_!" Jak yelled desperately, watching the retreating form of the mechanic with a burning gaze, his sensitive ears straining to pick up even the slightest of unusual sounds.

Frosty crystals sprayed haphazardly around Keira's feet as she skidded to a halt, wheeling around to face Jak, confusion darkening her otherwise calm features.

"What's wrong?" she asked in bewilderment, taking note of Jak's grim expression and shivering unconsciously in response.

Rather than answer her, the three-time world-savior began to cautiously make his way over to her, cerulean eyes constantly flickering around the edges of the trees, searching for any sign of movement.

"Don't move," Jak hissed under his breath, reaching her within a few long strides. Almost subconsciously, he placed himself in front of her, body tense as though shielding her from some unseen enemy.

Both elf and she-elf started as a twig snapped somewhere in the shrouded depths of the woods. Jak's head whipped around in the direction he thought the noise had come from, glaring at the ivory-covered brush, his breath held in anticipation.

"Keira," he muttered urgently, causing the sapphire-haired woman to glance at him, fear glittering in her deep green irises. "Whatever happens now, I want you to stay behind me. I'll protect you no matter what — I promise."

Nodding to show that she understood, Keira laid her hand gently on his bicep, offering him what little comfort she could in the face of whatever danger may lurk in the shadows of the forest.

A beat of charged silence passed between them, both standing rigidly as they waited… for what exactly, they didn't know.

Suddenly, a feral roar rang out from the undergrowth, reverberating around the glade and rising to a crescendo as uncountable grisly screeches echoed it. Within a heartbeat, the foliage surrounding them exploded as an endless torrent of indigo streaks poured into the clearing, their golden skull gems flashing in the blinding sunlight.

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**JKA: Ugghhh, this chapter ended up being so much shorter than I'd hoped. r_r Although I suppose that's what I get for trying to write in the wee hours of the morning... Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it despite its reduced length, and please review, or you shall never know how Jak and Keira make it out of this one. X) And that means you, too, Marn! Give him a kick up the butt for me, Mika, I worry about you two when I don't hear from you. :)**


	10. Courage and Bloodlust

**JKA: Grrr, this chapter ended up being even shorter than the last one. :P But I'm finally updating, so hopefully that will make up for it... hopefully. Violence warning for this chapter, but nothing too major. Not much else to say otherwise. Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews (and Marn, nice to see your face again - even without a jaw XDD), and please continue to do so. Anyway, usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, enjoy the Metal Head destruction.**

**P.S. Mika and Marn, I snuck in a little tribute of sorts to "Blood Ties" somewhere in there. 'Tis very small, but let me know if you find it. ^_^**

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**Chapter 10: Courage and Bloodlust**

Time seemed to slow to a near standstill as Jak watched the horde of Metal Heads barrel down towards him and Keira. All sound faded away from the world around him, only the steady thrum of his heart and the rhythm of his measured breathing breaking through the choking silence within his mind. It was almost as if the approaching tide of monsters were moving in slow motion, the black abyss of their eyes glittering with malice and their razor-like claws digging into the snow, propelling them forward.

He sensed rather than felt Keira press her back against his, her slender frame trembling with obvious horror. The knowledge of her presence sent a tidal wave of energy surging through his body, heightening his already unnatural reflexes to their fullest. Grim determination dominated his thoughts, his muscles coiled as he prepared for the first strike.

_I'm not going down without a fight_, he snarled to himself, eyes narrowing as they scanned the ever-nearing Metal Head army, — at least fifty creatures total, give or take — daring those who opposed him to try and take him down.

A beat of charged silence passed, and then the dark barrage was upon them.

Sound came flooding back to Jak's consciousness as the nearest Metal Head leapt at him, a thundering chorus of animalistic roars and the drumming of scaled feet echoing in his ears. Quick as lightning, Jak propelled himself into the air and met the attacking monster with a well-aimed blow to the jaw, sending it careening backwards and tumbling to the earth. Landing nimbly on his feet, he dove towards the dazed beast and swiftly snapped its neck before it had the chance to retaliate, throwing its lifeless body aside without a second glance.

No sooner had Jak turned his back on the fallen creature than he was forced to duck to avoid another one as it went sailing over his head. An instant later he rolled out of the path of a third, springing back up when he was out of harm's way and tackling it. The Metal Head struggled to throw him off, but with blinding speed, Jak grabbed its massive head between his hands and twisted it a full one-hundred-eighty degrees, leaping off of the dead monster as it collapsed onto the snow.

_Too easy_, the blonde hero scoffed as he dodged another pair of oncoming Metal Heads, lunging agilely between them as they struggled to regain their balance after their misjudged assault. Grinning maniacally, Jak grabbed each of their broad heads with one hand and slammed them together, effectively shattering their skulls and spraying thick, ebony blood into the air.

His minor victory was short-lived, however, as the overwhelming number of remaining enemies rapidly closed in around him, severely limiting his pathways of escape. Without warning, one brave creature hurled itself at the boxed-in warrior, its claws tearing through the fabric of his jacket sleeve and leaving a vicious gash from his elbow down to his wrist.

Hissing in pain and frustration, Jak struck out with his uninjured arm and backhanded the beast across its chest, sending it soaring back into the crowd of Metal Heads and causing it to crash into several of its comrades.

Taking advantage of Jak's momentary distraction, one of the beasts positioned behind the elf launched itself at him, sending him sprawling to the icy ground. The monster dug its fearsome talons into Jak's shoulders, cutting through clothing, flesh, and muscle as if it were mere tissue paper. Almost immediately, a second Metal Head joined its accomplice, clamping its jaws down on one of Jak's legs while another still tore at his undamaged arm, their combined weight all-but-pinning him to the chilled earth.

A burning rage began to simmer at the back of Jak's mind, consuming his body with the speed and power of a wildfire and tingeing the edges of his vision with red. Inhuman strength jolted through his limbs, mingling with the miniscule levels of Dark Eco he had stored in his veins and propelling him to his feet with astounding velocity.

Releasing his fury in the form of a feral roar, Jak easily dislodged two of his attackers from where they clung to him, their armored frames slamming into the ground as their respective claws and teeth were ripped out of the young man's skin. In the same instant, Jak reached up and locked his fingers around the neck of the Metal Head that was still gripping onto his shoulders. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat as he hurtled the creature over his head, agony shooting down the length of his arms as tendon and sinew were shredded with the wrenching free of his assailant's talons.

As soon as the fiend-in-question smashed into the earth, Jak released his hold on its neck and promptly stomped on its unprotected chest, effectively crushing its torso and splattering the snow around it with midnight blood.

Jak winced as aftershocks of pain crackled up and down his arms, his wounds throbbing as they ran with his own scarlet blood. Hot, sticky trails of it snaked their way down his body, staining the tattered remains of his jacket and shirt. He could sense the Light Eco in his system — present in even lesser amounts than its Dark counterpart — working to repair the damage, although he knew it would never be enough to heal his injuries completely.

_Come on, _think_, Jak,_ he hissed at himself, feinting to one side to avoid an oncoming Metal Head and striking down another. _There's gotta be something I can use to my advantage._

Making a snap decision, Jak abruptly launched himself into the air, landing upright on the metallically-reinforced back of just one member of the surging sea of monsters surrounding him. Before the Metal Head even had a chance to sense his presence, however, he was already sailing towards the next one, pausing only to steady his footing and then moving on just as quickly. His eyes scanned the perimeter of the battlefield frantically as he jumped from creature to creature; constantly keeping out of their reach as he searched for _anything_ that may tilt the odds of overpowering them in his favor.

Almost subconsciously, the dark warrior's gaze zeroed in on a jagged branch protruding from beneath the heavy blanket of snow some fifteen feet beyond the outer perimeter of the Metal Head army. Its visible end was broken as though it'd been snapped off of a tree, the bark splintered into several serrated points.

_Perfect_, Jak remarked silently, an arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Sucking in a quick breath, he continued maneuvering over the heads of the creatures below him, heading for the furthest edge of the swarming indigo mass. The instant he was within range of the twisted bough, he dove from his unstable perch, tucking into a roll as soon as he hit the ground and snatching up the stick as he uncoiled.

Unleashing an enraged war cry, Jak charged at the nearest Metal Head as it whipped around to face him, crude weapon gripped tightly in his hands. When there were mere feet separating it from its quarry, the monster lunged towards him, claws extended and glittering fangs bared.

Without breaking stride, Jak side-stepped his opponent's attack and impaled its wide chest with the sharpened end of the tree limb, spraying himself and the soft powder beneath his feet with onyx-colored blood. He swung the branch around in the same movement, bashing it into any of the Metal Head's accomplices that stood nearby, the aforementioned slowly-dying beast still lodged on the rough wood.

Gritting his teeth, Jak thrashed the stick against the frozen earth, freeing the defeated Metal Head and leaving it to slowly bleed its life out onto the snow. He adjusted his hold on his makeshift spear, weaving between the heaving tide of fiends as they dove for him left and right. Seldom managed to land a blow anywhere on the lightning-quick warrior, and those that did met a gruesome death within seconds of doing so.

Hardly ten minutes had passed before Jak found himself thoroughly drenched in the blood of his enemies as well as his own. The thick liquid dripped from his skin and clothing, leaving ghastly stains in the ivory ground. He could feel his body absorbing the Dark Eco contained in the fluids of the Metal Heads, and he waited carefully while the supply of the evil substance in his bloodstream steadily increased, bidding his time until he'd have enough to power a Dark transformation.

As essential as it was to refrain from shifting to his alter-ego for the moment, however, Jak knew his energy was waning fast. Having spent the entire morning trekking through the woods combined with the fact that he hadn't eaten in three days had drained most of his stamina, and his breath was beginning to shorten as he used up the little that remained.

_Just a little longer_, he grunted to himself, slamming the side of the bough into the head of one Metal Head and then wheeling around to stab another. _A few more minutes, and I'll have these bitches begging for their sorry lives._

Suddenly, an all-too-familiar voice rang out over the clamor of the fight, its tone cracked and high-pitched with terror.

"Jak!" Keira yelled, freezing the blonde elf in his tracks, tree branch half-raised to bring down yet another of his foes.

Spinning on his heel, Jak felt his blood run cold as he spotted his girlfriend standing on the opposite end of the clearing, several yards away from where he currently brawled. She was slowly backing away from a crowd of about four or five Metal Heads, spread out in a semi-circle in front of her. Her hands were raised defensively in the highly likely event that she was attacked, her whole frame trembling with obvious fear.

A pang of guilt pierced Jak's heart, jolting his muscles into action and adding fuel to the fire of his pernicious rage. In truth, he'd almost forgotten Keira's presence amidst the heat of the battle, even after he'd sworn to protect her only seconds before it began. If any harm befell her now, the blame would all be on _his_ shoulders.

That revelation alone was enough to push Jak's anger beyond the point of rationality, and he doubled over as searing pain exploded throughout his body, as though his every nerve had spontaneously burst into flames. The minimal Dark Eco stores he'd managed to build up throughout the constant melee flowed freely through his veins, the color of his skin and hair bleaching to an ashen gray. Long, ebony claws extended from his fingernails, — their intimidating appearance putting those of the Metal Heads' to shame — and horns of the same shade sprouted from within his tangled mane.

Last of all to change were his eyes. His pupils enlarged until they completely obliterated his cerulean irises and the white surrounding them, leaving two bottomless abysses in their wake, darker than the coldest midnight.

A roar that was half of pain and half of fury ripped from the Eco demon's chest as the transformation ended, violet electricity crackling menacingly around him. The few Metal Heads that were unfortunate enough to be standing in close proximity to him died instantly, their lifeless forms twitching as the sinister energy ravaged them from within.

Moving so swiftly that he was little more than a silvery blur, the Dark monster began to plow his way through the densely-packed Metal Head army, carving a path through them by decimating anything and everything that stood in his way. His dagger-like talons tore through armor, flesh, muscle, and bone as if it was nonexistent, reducing any beast foolish enough to try and halt his progress to blood-covered shreds. Within seconds, what had once been a vast Metal Head fighting force was utterly annihilated, save for the creatures still advancing towards Keira and a handful of others, who by this point were fleeing into the forest in an effort to salvage their sorry hides.

Dark Jak's piercing, unreadable gaze locked on Keira's horrified face as he rushed to her aid, the panic in her gentle features urging him onward.

_Those assholes chose the wrong girl to mess with,_ the demon hissed wordlessly as the distance rapidly closed between himself and the young mechanic. _Have fun roasting in hell, you sick bastards._

Snarling viciously, Jak leapt into the air, soaring over the last few feet that separated him from his prey and landing in the center of their line. The Metal Heads scattered to avoid him, growling in surprise and anger as their focus was diverted from their target.

Baring his teeth in a very animalistic fashion, the Dark warrior pounced on the nearest creature, slashing at every inch of its flesh he could reach. When he was finished, what had once been a living beast now resembled a very gory pile of confetti, but Jak paid his fallen opponent no heed whatsoever. He simply moved onto the next one, beheading it with one swipe of his blood-soaked claws and leaving its corpse to darken the snow beside what remained of its comrade.

While he was occupied with the first two Metal Heads, one of their accomplices leapt at Dark Jak from behind, aiming to catch him off-guard. Just as it was about to sink its fangs into the elf's already-injured shoulder, however, Jak whipped around and lashed out with his talons, effectively ripping the brute's entire ugly mug apart. A howl of agony burst from its tattered mouth, and it collapsed onto the chilled ground, its body convulsing as its life gradually slipped away, flooding the powder around it.

The fourth member of the bedraggled group of Metal Heads was struck down just as quickly by a stab straight to the chest, the air _whooshing_ out of its lungs in a strangled gasp. Satisfied with his work, Dark Jak straightened out of his battle-ready crouch, roughly extracting his claws from the dying creature at his feet.

He was about to turn around and check that Keira was alright when a bone-chillingly familiar scream reverberated around the clearing, echoing in his sensitive ears and causing his breath to catch sharply as a shard of ice seemed to wedge itself in his heart.

That solitary shriek drowned out all other noise around him, throwing the world into a deathly silence. Jak spun on his heel, sheer horror locking his muscles in place and sending all of his thought processes to a screeching halt at the sight that greeted him.

It was an image he'd already seen twice before, one that haunted his darkest nightmares, but that did not make it any less heart-wrenching as he witnessed it now.

Keira was lying on the frozen earth mere feet away from him, her eyes wide with obvious fright. Her clothing was torn in several places, the fabric rapidly darkening as vivid crimson liquid soaked through what remained of it. Nearly every inch of her pale skin was marred by hideous gashes, a ceaseless tide of blood flowing steadily from them and dripping onto the snow around her. A single Metal Head that had miraculously escaped Jak's attention stood over her, pinning her beneath it. Curved talons were embedded deep within her arms, holding her in place as their owner continued to rip into her flesh.

While Jak may have observed this exact scene more times than he would have liked, this instance was entirely different from the others.

This time, it was _real_.

_No… NO,_ the Eco demon spat to himself, snapping out of his shocked daze. Eyes narrowed in determination, he broke into a full-out sprint, his focus trained unwaveringly on the Metal Head that had dared to try and murder the woman he loved. _No way in _hell_ am I letting this happen again._

As swiftly as Dark Jak drew nearer and nearer to the trapped she-elf, the weaker her struggles to dislodge her attacker became. She writhed vainly beneath the Metal Head's heavy form, another scream of anguish tearing from her chest as it drove its claws deeper into her limbs, drawing even more blood from the malicious wounds.

_Hold on, Keir. A few more strides and that monster will be nothing but a pile of shredded body parts. Come on, hang in there for just a little longer…_

Suddenly, a shadow befell the sunlit clearing, plunging everything surrounding the three living beings within its limits into choking darkness. A patch of thick, swirling clouds that had remained in the aftermath of the blizzard had drifted over the sun, blocking out its golden rays and rapidly cooling the temperature of the forest. The change when unnoticed by Jak, however, as all of his attention was centered on the Metal Head hovering over the slender frame of his girlfriend.

When there was hardly any distance left between the two lifelong friends, Keira's head tilted in Jak's direction, her gaze automatically locking with his. The warrior felt a jolt run straight through his heart as her emerald eyes met his pitch-black ones, void of any emotion apart from sparkling affection mingling with calm resolve. Those bright green orbs conveyed a message to the Eco warrior more powerful than a thousand words could have expressed, sending pure dismay crashing over him as he realized exactly what Keira was trying to tell him.

One more desolate cry split the otherwise hushed air — whether from Jak or Keira, neither would ever know — as the Metal Head lunged for the sapphire-haired she-elf's throat.

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**JKA: Yeah, nothing much to say about that ending, gotta keep you all on your toes. XD I will say that I've been planning the next chapter almost as long as I was planning chapter 8, so with any luck it will be longer than this one. But of course, no reviews and you will never know. Mwuhahaha.**


	11. Fragility

**JKA: Uggggh, this chapter ended up even shorter than the last one! D: Oh well, I pray the next one will be longer, because if my calculations are correct, there are only two or three chapters left in this story, including an epilogue. With that in mind, I'd like to give a big shout-out to everyone who reviewed so far, thank you so much for sticking with the story this long, you guys. Please continue to do so, or you'll never get to see how this story ends. X) And now I shall pipe down so you won't be kept in suspense any longer. ^_^ Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and enjoy.**

**P.S. Before you start reading this chapter, look up the song "Listen to Your Heart" by DHT (the slow version), and listen to it while you read. Just trust me on that one. Thank you for introducing me to that song, Mika. :D**

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**Chapter 11: Fragility**

Cold sweat dewed at the back of Jak's neck, sending shivers rolling down his spine in time with his heavy breathing. The world around him melted away into a dull, empty void, the profound silence that followed suffocating him with its presence. Not even the hammering of his heart registered in his ears, all sensations completely abandoning him as he launched himself off of the ground, midnight eyes locked unwaveringly on his target.

The Metal Head seemed not to notice the Eco demon's approach, or merely chose to ignore him, its focus completely absorbed in the helpless girl beneath it. Dagger-like fangs were buried deep within the flesh of Keira's throat, scarlet blood pouring from the wound in a ceaseless tide and further staining the already war-ravaged earth.

For one immeasurable moment, Jak appeared to be simply suspended in midair, his body stretched out and claws extended to their fullest as he soared towards his quarry. His ebony gaze burned with pure, untainted hatred as he neared the last member of what had once been an entire Metal Head army, his every muscle twitching in anticipation as his thoughts were consumed in bloodlust.

With a roar of unrestrained rage, Dark Jak crashed into the beast currently ravaging his girlfriend's body, throwing it off of Keira and sending it tumbling to the snow several feet away. Cruel satisfaction surged through the Eco warrior as he landed beside the Metal Head, his long talons embedded within the creature's side, having impaled it upon impact.

The armored monster gave a grisly howl of agony as Jak jerked his hands downwards, freeing his claws from its rough skin by ripping completely through its exposed stomach. Without giving his prey a chance to recover, Jak plunged his sharpened nails into the Metal Head's body once again, one hand driven straight through its chest while the other hooked into the muscles of its neck.

_This is for hurting the woman I love_, the dark elf spat silently, grinning murderously as the creature writhed in his grip, fear evident even on its inhuman features. _Say hi to your buddies in hell for me, you sadistic jackass._

Snarling viciously, Dark Jak wrenched his hands simultaneously from the creature's flesh, his talons tearing its frame apart from the inside-out. A gaping slash was all that was left upon the Metal Head's torso in their wake, a torrent of onyx blood surging from the opening. Its throat was in a similar state, the fiend's breath coming in shallow gasps as its life slowly drained out onto the powder beneath it.

His revenge complete, Jak straightened out of his predatory crouch, studying his handiwork with a smug grin. Aftershocks of pain rippled throughout various points of his body from his many injuries, but at the moment he couldn't have cared less, the glory of victory dominating his thoughts and pushing everything else to the back of his mind.

After a moment, the battered-but-triumphant hero began to shift back to his normal form, color gradually seeping into his skin and hair. His claws shrunk down to regular fingernails, and his curved horns receded into his skull. The impenetrable darkness of his eyes faded away, revealing the vibrant cerulean underneath once more, glittering with superiority and exhilaration alike.

Jak stumbled a bit as the transformation drew to a close, a sharp ache throbbing in his head as the Dark Eco receded back into his bloodstream. He pressed his palm gingerly to his temple, squeezing his eyelids shut and waiting for the pounding to subside, unconcerned when his fingers brushed the telltale stickiness of drying blood plastering green-tinted strands to his face.

Finally, his Darkness-induced headache dissipated, clearing his thoughts of the pain-filled haze that had consumed them. His chest heaved as he attempted to catch his breath, worn out from battling the immense horde of Metal Heads single-handedly. Giving himself a quick once-over, he relaxed minutely when he realized that most of his wounds were not particularly severe, and the smears of Metal Head blood covering his skin far outnumbered the amount of his own that had been spilled.

A soft stirring nearby caught his attention, hardly audible over his own drumming heart and slow, deliberate breathing. Glancing over his shoulder, Jak's entire frame stiffened as hard reality came crashing down on him, burying him underneath a tidal wave of panic, shock, and sheer, all-consuming horror.

"_Keira_!" he yelled frantically, his alarmed gaze locking on where the mechanic lay sprawled on the frozen earth, terrifyingly still and surrounded by a pool of vivid crimson blood. Those clear blue irises darkened to the ominous shade of the ocean before a storm, cold dread trickling its way down Jak's spine and encasing the walls of his veins in ice.

His own pain forgotten, the young man sprinted towards the fallen form of his closest friend, skidding on ebony puddles and churning up snow with each stride. Entire frame trembling with uncontrollable fear, Jak knelt down beside Keira, sliding his arms carefully beneath her and hesitantly lifting her torso off of the ground. Her head hung lifelessly over his arm, her eyes closed and her skin a chalky pale. Dark red liquid dripped steady from twin slashes on her neck, left behind by the Metal Head's fangs.

_Shit, shit, shit, _shit_, _Jak chanted to himself, his heartbeat quickening with despair as he brushed a lock of blood-soaked sapphire hair off of Keira's forehead. _Please, for the love of Mar, this can't be happening… Keira, you can't do this to me…_

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Keira began to shift in his arms, a low moan of obvious agony falling from her lips. Her eyelids fluttered open gradually, coming to rest at half-mast as she stared blankly up at her boyfriend. Jak felt another jolt of anxiety crackle through his nerves when he noticed the emptiness in her emerald gaze, as though she weren't able to focus on him.

"Jak?" she whispered, her voice scarcely audible and rough with pain. Her breathing came in shallow gasps, as though she were fighting just to bring air into her lungs.

"I'm right here, Keir," Jak assured her, his words coming out far calmer than he felt. He wondered idly how his tone could be so stable when he was on the verge of succumbing into a panic attack.

"What… happened?" the injured she-elf asked weakly, her eyes falling closed once again as if she lacked the strength to keep them open. "I remember… Metal Heads, and you… and then… there was just n-nothing…"

"Shh," Jak quieted her, removing one arm from behind her back and placing his hand comfortingly on her cheek. She offered him no reaction to the gesture, her mutilated chest rising and falling in time with her rapid panting. "Don't worry, Keira. I'm going to find you some help."

To his surprise, Keira shook her head an infinitesimal amount, as though denying his statement.

"No," she disagreed, wincing slightly as if speaking alone were tormenting her damaged body. Blood continued to flow incessantly from her wounds, dripping onto Jak's arm supporting her and leaving glistening trails over her skin.

"No?" Jak repeated, his voice raising an octave in alarm. There was only one reason he could think of that would make Keira deny his promise for help — and he didn't like it at all. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"There's no point," Keira murmured, confirming his worst fears. She managed to drag open her heavy eyelids after a brief struggle, her blurry gaze meeting his with the fiercest intensity she could muster. "No one's… a-around… and I'm… I'm not gonna —"

"Stop!" Jak growled, his mouth twisting downwards in a defiant scowl that instantly silenced the woman below him. "Don't you _dare_ say you're not gonna make it, Keira Hagai. You're going to be fine, I promise."

A sorrowful smile tugged at the corners of Keira's lips, only serving to heighten the anxiety eating away at Jak's stomach.

"That's one p-promise you won't… be able to keep… Jak Mar," she teased feebly, convulsing as a violent cough wracked her thin frame. She could feel her energy dimming with every lift of her ravaged chest, every beat of her stuttering heart.

"No!" Jak argued, his denial fading away to desperation. His mind refused to even consider the outcome that Keira was trying to tell him — it simply wasn't possible. "_Nothing_ is going to happen to you, Keir, not while I'm around. We're practically home anyway; I'll just take you to Samos and —"

"Jak!" Keira interrupted him, a spasm of pain rippling through her body with the effort of raising her tone. "Just… stop. It's n-no use."

For a moment Jak contemplated quarreling with her again, but he realized with a stab of anguish that doing so would be wasting precious time that Keira simply didn't have.

"But…" he muttered, abruptly losing steam as his shoulders sagged under the weight of the dismay searing his veins. "I can't… I can't l-lose you, Keira… I need you…"

Tears began to burn at the edges of the dark warrior's eyes for the first time in longer than he cared to remember. Pure, overwhelming grief crashed over him as it finally dawned on him that every second that passed by was bringing Keira that much closer to her last. His breath caught in his throat as he choked back a sob, a jagged fissure scorching its way down the middle of his heart.

_This can't be happening… not now…_ he thought hopelessly, biting his lip in an instinctive attempt to hold back his emotions.

"I know," Keira sighed, lifting a trembling, scarlet-streaked hand and placing it softly against his cheek. "I need you, t-too. I wish… I didn't have to… to l-leave you. I'm sorry, Jak…"

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Jak questioned, his words cracking in absolute agony, a mere echo of the remorse tearing him apart from the inside. "This is all my f-fault… I should have p-protected you…"

"Don't say that," Keira chided him quietly, offering him a faint smile that he did not return. Her frail breaths were getting shorter, pain glittering within the depths of her hazy forest-green irises. "If anything, it's… m-my fault. I was the… the one who got l-lost out here… in the first place, remember?"

Unable to form a coherent response, Jak just nodded numbly. He studied her gaze vacantly, those emerald orbs glowing with affection despite the cloud of suffering darkening them.

A moment of tense silence stretched between the couple, both waiting for the other to break it. Finally, Jak lost the battle with his own sorrow, and the moisture spilled from his eyes, trailing down the sides of his face and smearing the dried blood that was splattered over his skin.

"Keira… w-what am I going to do without you?" he choked out, a sob rumbling in his words, threatening to burst from his shattered chest. "You mean e-everything to me… I don't even remember what life was l-like without you there…"

"I know," Keira repeated, brushing a stray tear away from beneath his tortured cerulean eyes, only to have it replaced by another within seconds. "But Jak… you have to let me go. You c-can't spend the rest of your life… grieving over me. Promise m-me… you'll keep going, for yourself… for our f-friends… for me."

"I promise," Jak assured her, his voice breaking the instant he finished speaking. He pressed a tender kiss to Keira's forehead, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb.

"I'm not s-scared, Jak," the mechanic breathed, as though she were trying to soothe some of his heartache, no matter how useless an attempt at comfort was now.

Again her boyfriend did not answer, too overcome with remorse to offer her a reply. He merely continued to caress her pallid face, running his fingers through her tangled hair softly.

"Can you do… s-something else for me?" she asked after a moment's hesitation, her eyelids drooping a bit as exhaustion tugged at the edges of her consciousness. "Last… requests."

"Anything" Jak replied hoarsely, more tears streaming their way down his face. He could hardly see Keira beneath him anymore, his vision obscured by the liquid pouring from his eyes. Never before had he experienced this level of grief, not even when his father had been killed. While he'd never really developed a close relationship with Damas, Keira was his entire world. To lose her now made him feel as if his very soul were shredding to pieces.

"First… tell Daxter he's been… a great friend," Keira whispered, her speech becoming less and less audible as she fought to stay awake — if only to spend a few more moments with Jak before it was too late. "I never… t-told him… and he truly was… once you got past his... his p-personality, anyway…"

A weak chuckle escaped Jak's throat despite himself, but it was swiftly cut off by a strangled sob. The sound was utterly foreign to him, but he didn't bother to waste precious time marveling over it. His full attention was absorbed in Keira's breathless words — her last desires from him.

"Also…" Keira continued, her tired voice wavering as if she were on the verge of breaking down herself. "Tell D-Daddy… tell him I love him and… I'm s-sorry."

"I will," Jak swore, his entire body shaking with the effort of preventing himself from falling apart completely. He couldn't stand the idea of the final memory Keira would ever have of him being one of him losing what little strength he had left, and so he struggled to hold himself together, if only for her.

"Thank you," Keira breathed, blinking sadly up at him, the emerald gaze that had always sent a jolt of electricity running straight through Jak's heart beginning to glaze over. "I love you, Jak. Always have… always w-will."

"I love you, too," he murmured softly, a fresh wave of sorrow threatening to overwhelm him as he realized this would be the last time he ever said those words to her. "I'll m-miss you, Keir."

Squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to quell the pain, Jak bent down and claimed Keira's lips with his own in an earth-shattering kiss. He savored the feeling with every fiber of his being, knowing that he would never experience the same sensation again. Salty water droplets splashed onto Keira's pale skin as she kissed him back, her actions becoming weaker with each passing second.

After what seemed an eternity, Keira's mouth stilled against his. Her hand fell away from his cheek, her arm landing with a dull _thud_ at her side. Jak pulled away to examine her features, what splintered pieces of his heart that remained crumbling to dust and a howl of unrestrained misery ripping from his throat.

Keira's chest no longer moved as she fought for breath, and her bright green eyes had slid closed once more… never to open again.

She was gone.


	12. Shattered

**JKA: Aaand I'm back! Almost a month after the last update... I am SO sorry for making you guys wait so long, especially after a chapter like the last one. ^^' Thank you all so much for being patient, and for not murdering me for killing off Keira. _I_ still can't believe I did that. I literally sat staring at my computer screen for about fifteen minutes after that in blank shock. XD And a BIG thank you for all the reviews, and the many different reactions, most of them asking me to bring Keira back in some way. :D I say nothing on the subject, so I will shush now and let you all read on. Read, review, and enjoy the angst. You know the drill. ~**

**P.S. To the lovely miss MikaHaeli8, I'm dedicating this chapter to you. Consider it my form of a birthday gift. ^_^ HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKA!**

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**Chapter 12: Shattered**

_**Jak**_

I've lost track of how much time has passed since… since we said goodbye. My knees have gone numb from kneeling in the snow for so long, but I really don't give a damn. I just cradle her in my arms, simply watching her face, praying to the Precursors, Mar, _anyone_… silently begging her to open her eyes, to look at me with that endless green gaze of hers and tell me that everything will be alright.

But no matter how much I hope, how much I plead that this is all just a horrible dream, and that any second I'll wake up with Keira lying beside me… it doesn't change anything. She just rests limply in my hold, broken and bloodied, her tattered jacket steadily darkening with splatters from the tears pouring from my eyes.

My best friend, the woman I've loved since I was a child… is dead.

And it's my fault.

I promised her I'd protect her. I told her that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. She trusted me… and I let her down. Pfft, some hero I am. I let myself get too absorbed in the heat of a battle, turn my back for an instant, and my girlfriend ends up a Metal Head's chew toy.

_If anything, it's my fault. I was the one who got lost out here in the first place, remember?_

Keira's words echo in my head, tearing a sob from my chest and dripping more tears onto her cold skin. Even after I'd abandoned her and practically left her to be slaughtered, she still wouldn't blame me for anything. I guess I'd always taken how quickly she would forgive my blunders for granted... it was just a part of what made her who she was. I'd never understood what I did to deserve her... and now I suppose I'll never find out.

The only thing I don't understand is _why_. Keira never did anything to make her worthy of this... to have her life torn away from her because of a stupid mistake — _my_ stupid mistake. She was the brightest, most caring person I'd ever met; she'd always tried to see the best in people, no matter what they'd done or how they acted.

So what, dare I ask, was so terrible about her that warranted her death?

I'll probably never know the answer to that, either. All I know for sure is that fate's a bitch, and the innocent are always the ones that pay for it. Keira had her whole future ahead of her, and now it's just… gone. So many possibilities, all wiped out in the blink of an eye.

I brush a strand of soft blue hair — matted together with dried blood — off of Keira's forehead, a fresh wave of grief ripping through my body like wildfire. Another sob bursts from my throat before I can stop it, but I barely realize that the sound came from me. I can't even remember the last time I cried like this… hell, I don't think I've _ever_ cried like this. I've been through a lot of shit in my life; I've seen things that other people can only imagine in their deepest, darkest nightmares. And yet none of that affected me like losing Keira has. I feel like… like not only has my heart shattered into a million pieces, but my _soul_ has been destroyed along with it.

From the day I met her, Keira and I were always like two halves of a single whole — we fit together perfectly, we _belonged_ together. She was a part of me, and I was a part of her. Now that she's gone… that piece of me is lost, too…

…and I'll never be able to get it back.

I've been victorious and I've been defeated. I've felt like I was on top of the world, and at the bottom of the ocean. I've been a hero and a renegade, a legend and an Eco freak. I've been cheated and lied to, I've been a survivor, and I've been broken.

But _never_, in all of my years spent saving the universe or bringing down my enemies, through all the triumph and tragedy I've faced, have I ever felt this empty.

Sniffing quietly, I press a quick kiss to Keira's forehead, shuddering when I realize how icy her skin has become. All of her familiar warmth has faded away, leaving nothing behind but her cold, still body and an overwhelming ache in my chest.

It's just not fair. After spending practically our entire lives awkwardly dropping hints to one another and having our rare perfect moments ruined by Daxter, Keira and I _finally_ managed to admit how we felt about each other. And then, less than twenty-four hours later, the world just falls apart around us. We should have had _years_ to be together, but one disastrous moment erased any chance of a future for us. What had once been the prospect of a long-awaited relationship with the girl I loved ended with Keira dying in my arms, and now I'm left to spend the rest of my life mourning over her… over what could have been.

My one glimpse of heaven in this endless hell I'm forced to call my existence has been consumed in shadow… and there's nothing I can do to save it.

It should have been me torn apart by that Metal Head, not her. I'd suffer a thousand and one of the most painful deaths imaginable if it meant I could somehow bring Keira back, if I could endure her fate for her. But I can't change the past, can't reverse time. No matter how much I wish it were possible, even I can't bring someone back from the dead.

I doubt even the Precursors and all their furry glory have enough power to help Keira now.

Almost unconsciously, I begin to rock Keira's unmoving form in my arms, my thumb stroking her cheek absentmindedly. I heave a shaky sigh, my thoughts in turmoil as I study Keira's peaceful face, her expression in stark contrast with the crimson streaks twisting across her skin.

Looking back on it, I have to wonder whether or not all of the shit I've gone through — and not just me, but my friends as well — was really worth it. Some part of my mind believes that it was, but right now I seriously doubt it. Sure, if I hadn't taken the path of a hero and saved the world, I wouldn't be standing here today, and neither would anyone else, for that matter.

Honestly, though, if I had known that the course of my life would ultimately come to losing the person I cared for most… I would have gladly left the planet to fend for itself, no questions asked.

_I'll always be here for you, and nothing's going to change that._

It seems like it's been an eternity since Keira made that promise. I find it hard to believe that it was only last night she said those exact words to me. So much has changed in the course of one day. In the length of a heartbeat, I went from being the happiest person alive to watching my world crumble to pieces, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.

As much as I hate to admit it, I guess even heroes have to be defeated sometime.

Memories of last night invade my mind as I watch Keira's motionless features blankly, unleashing a fresh wave of tears from my burning eyes. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how we ended up where we did, — what led up to, well, _that _is kind of a blur — but if there's one thing I know, it's that I'll never regret my final night with Keira. Even if I'd somehow foreseen that I'd end up losing her in the morning, I still wouldn't have changed a thing.

No, if there's one thing I feel sorry for about last night, it's that our most perfect moment together is the only thing I have left of Keira to hold onto.

Gradually, I begin to realize that the shadows blanketing the clearing around me are fading. Glancing upwards, I spot the cloud that had previously covered the sun as it drifts away, allowing golden rays to shower the snow-covered glade once more.

A scowl darkens my expression as I study the reappearing sun, squinting against the brightness. The dazzling glow caused by its radiance is too cheerful, too pleasant to match the despair currently churning within me. It's almost as if the sunlight is mocking my pain, laughing at the fact that the girl I love is lying dead in my arms, surrounded in a pool of her own blood.

Gritting my teeth against another onslaught of tears, I shift my attention to the heavy metal door marking the entrance to Haven City, mere feet from where I'm kneeling. A twinge of anger jolts through my veins as it dawns on me just how cruel Keira's fate really is, mixing uncomfortably with the grief already consuming my body.

We were so close to being home free… and then tragedy strikes at the last second, because, of course, nothing can _ever_ be that easy. That's one lesson I've had to learn the hard way — losing Keira was just the icing on the Mar-damned philosophical cake.

It suddenly occurs to me that I've been sitting in the middle of an empty clearing staring at my lifeless girlfriend for Precursors know how long, when all this time I could have been actually taking her into the city. No doubt that's what she would have wanted me to do, if only to give the rest of our friends a chance to say goodbye to her.

I promised her I'd get us both back home, no matter what. It's time for me to make good on that promise.

With a weary grunt, I haul myself off of the ground, picking Keira up in the same motion. Her head hangs limply over my arm as I cradle her to my chest, and I can't find the willpower to fight my emotions as more tears slither their way down my face.

Inhaling deeply, I plow my way through the knee-deep snow, my legs shaking from a combination of exhaustion and the force of the misery strangling me. I pause just in front of the entrance to sweet civilization, closing my eyes briefly as moisture continues to stream from them.

"We're home, Keir," I whisper brokenly, my voice cracked and raw from lack of use. "We're home."

* * *

Piercing sunlight sliced through the thin cloud cover that hung like the threads of a spider's web over Haven City. The cold rays shimmered on the ivory snow coating the streets, illuminating a twenty-foot-tall ottsel mannequin where it stood ever-faithfully atop the roof of the bar it was named for. Amazingly, the giant neon rodent had managed to cling to its Santa hat and coat throughout the course of the harsh weather of the past few days, although the same could not be said for the plastic reindeer at its feet. The twin rows of antlered figurines were in complete disarray after enduring the blizzard winds, and their sleigh was dangling precariously over the edge of the gutter, suspended only by the tethers that attached it to each individual deer.

Inside the pub, the atmosphere wasn't much more uplifting. What was normally a lively establishment filled to the brim with party-goers now resembled an abandoned graveyard. While all of the holiday decorations still remained in place, the small group of friends that currently occupied the bar was anything but cheerful.

Silence reigned over every living soul in the main area of the saloon, so thick it could have been cut with a knife. At the back of the bar, a pair of tattooed elves sat side-by-side, leaning against the countertop and staring unseeingly at its marble surface. Torn had his fingers twined through Ashelin's subconsciously, as though the two of them were communicating a message to one another in a language that only they could understand.

Across the room, Samos was seated on the end of one of the booths, his unfathomable gaze fixed on the floor. He twiddled his thumbs in his lap absentmindedly, obviously deep in thought.

On the opposite side of the table from the elderly Sage resided Onin, her spindly legs crossed on the leather bench and her sightless eyes focused unwaveringly on Samos. In the center of her large, rounded hat, Pecker was presently taking a nap, having nothing else to keep himself occupied with. The ancient soothsayer and her translator had arrived at the Naughty Ottsel in the early hours of the morning, much to a certain orange rodent's disdain. What exactly they were doing there was a mystery, as Onin — or rather, Pecker — had refused to explain their seemingly random appearance, choosing to speak only in complicated riddles.

In one corner of the bar, Daxter was slumped against the trunk of their glittering Christmas tree, his small form almost completely invisible beneath the thick branches. Tess was, at present, leaning against his side, her head resting on his furry shoulder. Daxter's arm was slung around her, holding her in a loose embrace while the two of them lost themselves in their own reveries.

Despite the fact that it was well into Christmas Day, none of the 'Ottsel's occupants had even suggested trying to celebrate the holiday. Although no one was willing to voice their thoughts aloud, they all felt it wouldn't be right to rejoice in the spirit of the season when they had lost two of their friends less than forty-eight hours previously.

"I still can't believe they're gone…" Daxter mumbled to himself, the first words to break the hush that had fallen over the group in longer than anyone cared to consider.

"I know, Daxxie," Tess whispered sadly, having been reflecting on the exact same thing. "None of us can."

Sighing morosely, Daxter turned his head away from her, attempting to hide his face as a flicker of pain passed over his features. "I'm really gonna miss those two. Jak and Keira were my best friends… what am I gonna do without 'em?"

Unable to come up with something to say that could do anything to ease his grief, Tess simply wound her arm around Daxter's waist, giving him a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks, angel cheeks," the pants-clad ottsel muttered, offering his fuzzy girlfriend a half-hearted smile. Within a heartbeat his expression faltered again, the force of his despair making it impossible for even Orange Lightning's trademark grin to remain in place. He pulled Tess closer to his side and buried his face in her hair, seeking comfort in her familiar warmth.

"I never thought I'd see the day when even the rat was too downcast to annoy the hell out of everyone," Torn mused quietly, trying to ease some of the tension in the room with a poorly-timed joke — and failing miserably.

"Come on, Torn," Ashelin reprimanded him under her breath, her sorrowful jade gaze meeting his own icy-blue. "He's going through a hard time right now. I'd like to see how _you_ would react if you found out your closest friends were gone, Commander."

The two ex-KGs cast quick glances in the direction of the nearly-hidden rodent couple beneath the Christmas tree, each heaving a subdued sigh when they spotted the remorse written all over Daxter's face.

"I know," Torn surrendered wearily, a subtle apology laced into his tone that only Ashelin would be able to pick out. The redhead nodded to show that she understood, both elves almost mechanically returning their attention to the glossy counter in front of them. Torn stroked the back of Ashelin's hand once with his thumb, and the two of them lapsed into silence once more, retreating back into their own private form of conversation.

Suddenly, Daxter stiffened beside Tess, his every muscle locking in place and his ears pricking up in surprise. A shiver rolled down his spine, causing his fur to stand on end and his arm to tighten around Tess' shoulders.

"Baby, are you ok?" aforementioned blonde ottsel asked anxiously, her nerves automatically set on-edge by Daxter's abrupt change in posture.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Daxter replied distractedly, his eyes darting from side-to-side as if he were searching for something out of the ordinary. "It's just…"

"Just what?" Tess persisted, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She straightened up beside her boyfriend, studying the agitation in his features uneasily.

"I don't know how to explain it…" Daxter mumbled distantly, almost as though he'd forgotten Tess' presence and was merely talking to himself. "Something just feels… _wrong_. I can't put my finger on it, but I have this weird feeling that something terrible has happened…"

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, something terrible _did_ happen." Torn called sarcastically, having overheard Daxter's explanation for his strange behavior. "Jak and Keira disappear out in the forest and are probably giant blocks of ice right about now? Ring any bells for ya?"

"No, it's something else," Daxter argued, either completely missing the mockery in the older man's tone or choosing to ignore it. "Am I the only one that's feeling just a wee bit anxious at the moment?"

"I sense it, too," Samos piped up from his booth, reminding the others of his existence, for it was the first time he'd spoken in uncountable hours. "Something is definitely out of place."

"Good, so I'm not going insane, then," Daxter confirmed, nodding in the white-haired Sage's direction to acknowledge his support.

An indignant squawk erupted from somewhere in Samos' general vicinity, derailing Daxter's train of thought in the process. All eyes turned to Onin as her loyal moncaw appeared over the rim of her headdress, his feathered visage radiating annoyance.

"Onin says that answers will always come to those who are patient," Pecker translated, leaning over the rim of his perch as the aged soothsayer fired off several rapid signs. His voice was underlain with a layer of irritation, conveying that he was none-too-thrilled about his siesta being interrupted. "Onin also says that, _aarrk_, those who jump to conclusions often cause themselves unwarranted grief of the worst kind."

A beat of awkward silence stretched between the band of friends and petty enemies as they all struggled to absorb the colorful animal's words.

"… Do you have _any_ idea what he just said?" Daxter inquired of no one in particular, earning himself several shrugs in response and an indignant "humph" from Pecker.

Before anyone could manage to form an appropriate response to Daxter's question, the entrance of the pub slid open with a resounding _click_. The sudden disturbance caused everyone in the room to jump about ten feet in the air, all gazes whipping around to stare at the doorway suspiciously.

Charged stillness descended upon the gang as they studied a shadowed figure standing just beyond the saloon's threshold. Bright golden sunlight framed the newcomer's silhouette, throwing its features deeper into darkness. Its head was bowed at though weighed down by exhaustion, only serving to further hide its identity from those inside the 'Ottsel.

"Who are you?" Torn demanded boldly, shattering the quiet that had crackled in the air like an electric current. His years in combat had trained him to always take the initiative when faced with an unknown situation, and discovering just who this person was seemed to be the most logical course of action.

The stranger offered him no reply whatsoever. After a moment's hesitation, the figure stepped warily inside the bar, illuminating itself in the dim light of the building's interior. It lifted its head the instant the door glided shut behind it, revealing its features to those around it.

A collective gasp rose from the watching group as they took in the battle-worn face, its tan skin marred by several streaks of dried crimson. His green-tinted blonde hair was tangled and wild, and patches of it had been matted together by some sort of ghastly black liquid. Two shockingly recognizable cerulean eyes roved from one person to the next as the newcomer studied his audience, coming to rest eventually on the orange-furred ottsel as he emerged from underneath the Christmas tree.

Daxter locked gazes with those all-too-familiar ocean-blue irises, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing.

"_Jak_?"


	13. Hope

**JKA: Uhm... hi everyone. Long time no see? ^^' I am SO incredibly sorry I made you guys wait so long for an update. I think I subconsciously didn't want to finish this story, so it was taking me longer than usual to wrap it up. But this chapter ended up being almost 5,500 words long, so hopefully it's worth the wait. Thank you for all the reviews, as always, and I shall shush now before you all go Dark on me for making you wait even longer. Usual disclaimers apply. Read, review, and enjoy. :D**

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**Chapter 13: Hope**

The occupants of the Naughty Ottsel stared in astonishment at the worn man that stood before them, his current condition looking every bit like someone who'd just been wandering through Haven Forest for nearly four days straight. Jak still said nothing, his cerulean eyes trained on the pants-clad ottsel at his feet as though he were completely oblivious to the rest of his spectators.

Several beats of tense silence stretched between the members of the shell-shocked group, lingering in the air like the thick fog of early morning. Each one seemed to be waiting for someone else to break the quiet, as it quickly became apparent that the bedraggled hero in front of them was not going to answer Daxter's inquiry any time soon.

"What the hell _happened_ to you?" Torn demanded eventually, his words coming out sharper than he'd intended due to his disbelief. Not that Torn's tone of voice was much softer at its normal intensity, regardless, but well… that was just Torn.

Empty stillness was all he received from Jak in response, as if the dark warrior hadn't heard his comrade's question at all. He simply continued to gaze down at Daxter with an unreadable expression, his features void of any emotion whatsoever.

"What's wrong with him?" Tess whispered to Daxter, stepping closer to her aforementioned boyfriend and watching Jak nervously, as though he were a ticking time bomb set to explode at any given second.

"I don't know…" Daxter breathed back, his voice unusually distant. His sky-blue irises were unfocused as they bored into Jak's, an indication that he was thinking extremely deeply about something — another strange occurrence in itself.

Little more than an arm's distance away from the rodent couple, Ashelin continued to study Jak's vacant form for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She laid her hand lightly on Torn's shoulder, leaning towards him so she could mutter in his ear.

"Maybe he's gone mute again," she suggested halfheartedly, feeling just as baffled and ultimately useless as the rest of her friends. Her speculation was met with an indifferent shrug from the tattooed commander beside her, for he was no closer than she was to solving the mystery that was a very unresponsive Jak.

"Highly unlikely, but not impossible," Samos spoke up for the first time, having overheard Ashelin's hushed theory. He slid rather ungracefully out of the booth where he'd been residing, trudging over to join the band of younger elves and elves-turned-ottsels. "Of course, if by some chance the boy _had_ relapsed into muteness, it would have had to have been a result of severe trauma to his vocal cords. And as you can see, there are neither wounds nor marks on his throat of any kind that would suggest such a case."

He gestured vaguely in Jak's direction, causing three of the four companions gathered around the blonde — minus the self-proclaimed Orange Lightning — to cast quick glances at his neck. While the skin in that general vicinity was splattered with two different shades of what could only be dried blood, — one a vibrant crimson, the other deep ebony — there were no signs of any injuries that could have done enough damage to rob Jak of his voice.

"Onin says that the boy has merely fallen into a state of shock," Pecker piped up from his perch atop the frail soothsayer's headdress, hanging his face over the rim in order to watch her sign. "She says that his very soul has been severely rattled, and his mind is in need of time to recover. Not to worry, though, he should snap out of it in a few minutes."

"'His soul has been rattled?'" Torn echoed incredulously, quirking one eyebrow to further emphasize his tone. "And just what in the name of Mar is that supposed to mean?"

Whilst the others attempted to figure out the cause for Jak's strange behavior, said frozen world-savior appeared to have succumbed into his own private form of conversation with Daxter. The strangely quiet ottsel hadn't removed his level stare from Jak's since the latter had arrived at the saloon, and now a million unvoiced words seemed to crackle in the space between the duo through their locked gazes.

Tess watched in utter bewilderment from the sidelines as Daxter's eyes narrowed slightly, and Jak's mouth twisted downwards infinitesimally as a result. Daxter's head tilted to one side in what looked to be curiosity, granting him a curt nod from Jak that took the place of an answer to some soundless question.

"Would you mind telling me what it is, exactly that you guys are doing?" Tess asked impatiently, irked that she was being left out of whatever discussion the two lifelong friends in front of her were in the midst of.

Her irritated query drew the interest of the other elves present, and they all shifted their attention to Jak and Daxter to discover what had disturbed the female rodent.

"Ok, this is starting to get weird," Torn grumbled, his gaze flitting from Jak's face, to Daxter's, and back again as more noiseless signals were exchanged between the pair.

"Not at all, Torn," Samos disagreed instantly, watching hero and sidekick silently converse with knowing, forest-green irises. "When he was a child, Jak had to develop a different way of speaking to those around him other than with words, on account of his disability. Over time, both Daxter and Keira learned how to read his eyes in order to tell what he was thinking, and thus they could communicate with him without the need for him to talk."

The instant Keira's name registered in his ears, Jak visibly flinched as though he'd been struck — the only real reaction he'd had to _anything_ since he'd miraculously turned up at the Naughty Ottsel's door. His blank stare flickered downwards for the length of a heartbeat, those deep blue orbs coming alive with a spark of devastating pain as they focused on something he held in his arms.

Spotting the subtle shift in Jak's attention, everyone in the room followed the line of his gaze, noticing for the first time what lay in the young man's hold — or, more accurately, _whom_.

"Sweet Precursors…" Daxter murmured, his eyes widening with recognition as he struggled to swallow the lump that had abruptly formed in his throat.

"Keira." It was not a question, nor was it an exclamation of shock, but rather a flat statement, all emotion completely absent from his tone. Samos didn't need to ask to understand what had happened to his daughter; he _knew_, from the moment his focus landed upon her. He leaned heavily against his wooden staff, as though the strength needed to stand had suddenly abandoned him.

While Jak sported his fair share of bloodstains streaked across his skin and clothing, Keira appeared to be practically drenched in the vile substance. Her pale flesh was darkened in several places with telltale blotches of dried scarlet, an alarming shade that far surpassed the amount of midnight-colored liquid spattering her all-but-shredded attire.

Unlike the battered elf that cradled her in his arms, however, Keira's body was marred by a gruesome pattern of deep slash wounds, the two most prominent being a pair of identical gashes on either side of her neck. Strands of sapphire hair were matted together into stiff, blood-soaked clumps around her face, and her head hung lifelessly over Jak's arm, her lips parted ever-so-slightly and her eyelids closed.

"_Aarrk,_ how did they not notice she was here before now?" Pecker muttered disdainfully, ruffling his feathers as he watched the unfolding scene from the booth where he and Onin still resided. The aged woman below him merely smiled cryptically in response to his remark, almost as if she were enjoying some sort of private joke.

Oblivious to the soothsayer and her animal translator, the rest of the group stared in mind-numbing horror at the still form of the ravaged mechanic, each of them too stunned to speak. Jak could sense all of their gazes trained on Keira, but he was too absorbed in examining her serene face to acknowledge them.

_Why_? he wondered, not for the first time since his grueling trek across Haven City to his best friend's bar. A shard of ice seemed to wedge itself into the shattered pieces of his heart, and he clutched Keira's body closer to his chest, unshed tears beginning to brim beneath his cerulean irises. _It wasn't supposed to be this way…_

"Jak."

The sound of his name broke through the obscure haze clouding Jak's thoughts. He lifted his head wearily, his eyes falling upon those of the unusually quiet ottsel at his feet. Daxter blinked up at his taller companion sorrowfully, his small features radiating a level of grief that echoed Jak's own.

"… What happened?" the rodent asked gently, his voice cracked and unsteady with raw anguish.

Images of the past twenty-four hours leapt unbidden to the forefront of Jak's memory, those two simple words from his partner-in-crime ringing in his ears; Keira crashing through a sheet of ice; excruciating pain as he dove into the sub-zero lake after her; hearing her soft voice whisper that she loved him; firelight dancing across her beautiful face, illuminating her sparkling green gaze as she hovered above him…

And then, far less pleasant recollections made themselves known; a sea of Metal Heads pouring from the edges of a snow-covered clearing; Keira's terrified scream splitting the air; scarlet blood staining the ivory ground in a ceaseless tide; a lone monster sinking its teeth into Keira's throat; his last kiss with the woman he loved as she lay, dying, in his arms.

An abrupt tidal wave of agony crashed over the devastated hero, the force of it causing his legs to give way beneath him. He fell to his knees on the less-than-forgiving floor, — bruising them upon impact — oblivious to his friends as they converged in a loose semi-circle around him.

"Keira…" he choked out quietly, the first word he'd spoken since leaving Haven Forest and the dark memories it contained behind. The moisture gathered beneath his eyes broke free of his efforts to restrain it, spilling its way down his cheeks and dripping onto Keira's icy skin.

Beside the heartbroken warrior, Torn and Ashelin exchanged fleeting glances; both thoroughly shocked to see the strongest man they had ever known succumb into unabashed weeping. Tess sniffed quietly in an effort to subdue her own tears while Samos merely watched on, his wrinkled features a mask of pure sadness as he stared at the pale face of his only daughter.

Almost timidly, as though he were afraid of startling the blonde elf, Daxter padded over to his sobbing friend and clambered up onto the latter's shoulder. His little paws patted Jak's bloodstained armor plate soothingly, the calm gesture in stark contrast with the waterworks pouring from his sky-blue eyes.

Jak winced slightly at the added weight onto his injured appendage, but otherwise paid no heed to his childhood buddy, his entire body wracked with violent tremors.

"Come on, big guy, just let it out," Daxter murmured softly, the kindest tone anyone apart from Jak had ever heard him use. "Tell us what happened out there."

Several seconds of hush passed in which Jak continued to mourn for the woman in his arms, and the others slowly began to lose their own fights against their emotions. Never before had any of them seen one person fall into the level of misery that Jak was in now, and witnessing it happen to the man that had saved their lives more times than they could count tore at their hearts like the claws of a Metal Head.

Eventually, Jak's sobs subsided to quiet whimpers, though tears continued to stream down his cheeks in an endless flood. He swallowed shakily, struggling to dislodge the lump blocking his throat so that he would be able to recount the events of the past few days to his companions.

"I found Keira out in the middle of the forest," he began unsteadily, his voice scarcely audible and hoarse with grief. "She'd been attacked by a Metal Head, and from what she told me, she had just barely managed to escape it by the skin of her teeth. By the time I caught up with her, she was completely lost and practically frozen to death…"

The group of comrades and spiteful adversaries alike listened with rapt attention as Jak told his story, their eyes never straying from his vacant, tear-streaked face. Jak, in turn, never shifted his focus away from Keira's unmoving form, running his fingers through her matted hair absentmindedly as he talked.

He told his stony audience everything, from the snowball fight with his girlfriend to his own brawl with one of the tank-like Metal-Rhinos, and the whole lot in between. Only the more intimate moments he'd shared with Keira outside Haven's walls were glossed over, both due to an unconscious need to keep those instances private as well as a hope of avoiding the anguish the memories caused.

No one was sure how much time had passed when, quite suddenly, Jak paused in his tale, biting his lower lip as a fresh wave of moisture spilled from his beneath his pained blue irises. He had just explained to his rigid listeners how he had saved Keira after she fell into the lake hardly twenty-four hours earlier, but the recollections of what had followed that fateful event prevented him from continuing. White-hot agony seared his chest as his mind replayed images of his last night with Keira, flickering like the sparks of the fire that had reflected the heat of their passion.

_I love you, Keira,_ Jak whispered to himself, clutching Keira's chilled body closer and stroking her bloodied cheek with his thumb. _I'm so sorry._

A small paw on his arm broke Jak out of his despairing thoughts. He turned his head to find Daxter gazing at him with eyes that were at once grief-stricken and sympathetic, wordlessly encouraging him to continue speaking.

Attempting to offer the unusually quiet rodent a grateful smile, — the closest he managed ended up being a subdued grimace — Jak sucked in a sharp breath, banishing the reflections of the previous night from his mind for the time being.

"Keira and I reached the city's outer wall this morning," he started up again, skipping over what had occurred between him and the she-elf in the cave altogether. "Just when we thought we were home free, an entire army of Metal Heads came at us from out of nowhere. I was able to fight them off for the most part, but one of them got to Keira before I could stop it…"

His voice trailed away as his focus slid down to his girlfriend's pale face, her peaceful expression in blatant contrast with the dried crimson streaked across her skin. No one asked him to elaborate on what had happened after the point where he'd left off in his story; no one needed to. The motionless girl lying in Jak's arms was all the evidence they required to piece the rest of the tale together.

A moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity stretched between the residents of the 'Ottsel, each of them trying to regain their respective bearings as they absorbed the full extent of what Jak had experienced out in Haven Forest.

"I'm so sorry, Jak," Ashelin muttered eventually in a surprisingly gentle tone, her features solemn as she leaned into Torn's side, subconsciously seeking comfort from his presence.

"Me, too," the aforementioned Commander added, never one to initiate displays of compassion himself, but genuine in his empathy for the younger elf nonetheless. He wound one arm around Ashelin's waist, pulling her closer and mutely thanking the Precursors that he wasn't going through the kind of loss that Jak was.

"Keira was a great friend," Tess murmured morosely, wiping her furry arm under her eyes in an effort to rid herself of the tears that threatened to spill. The endeavor proved to be in vain, for a heartbeat later her cheeks were marred with the moisture she was unable to hold back.

"And a wonderful daughter," Samos interjected, letting his eyelids fall shut as if to dispel the image of his lifeless little girl from his thoughts. It seemed as if everyone had decided to pitch in their own two-cents. "She had so much ahead of her, so much to look forward to."

"We'll all miss her," Daxter finished off, twisting around Jak's neck so that he could brush his paw along Keira's matted hair. He recoiled not a second later, his face scrunched up in disdain and his azure irises glittering with mischief. "Ah, ya might want to clean her up a bit, though. My stomach can only handle seeing so much blood at one time, you know."

"I'll get right on that, Dax," Jak replied sarcastically, a half-hearted chuckle escaping his throat despite himself. He abruptly sobered up again, a solitary teardrop slithering its way down his cheek and renewing the wet trails that had just begun to dry on his skin.

Heaving a remorseful sigh, Jak pressed a quick kiss to Keira's cold forehead, cradling her almost reverently in his arms. When he spoke, his voice was hardly more than a breath, a slight tremor hidden beneath the surface. "I'll never forget her. She meant the entire world to me."

Quite suddenly, the sorrow-laden air surrounding the group of friends was shattered by a loud, rather obnoxious squawk.

"Oi, if I may interrupt your little mourning party over there," Pecker cut in, causing all heads to whip around to stare at him and the decrepit soothsayer currently acting as his perch. His now-attentive audience waited expectantly while he paused to watch Onin sign, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in concentration. "Onin says that you need not grieve for those who have gone. She says that the ones we love never truly leave us, if indeed we know how to find them."

"Do you have anything useful to say?" Daxter snapped impatiently, earning himself an irritated scowl from the moncaw. "Because the last thing we want to hear right now is some stupid mystical 'words of wisdom' from a bloated windbag with feathers."

"Maybe if you would listen instead of criticize me, rat-boy, I could actually finish what I was trying to tell you!" Pecker shot right back, flapping his wings in clear contempt. "Some people actually, _aarrk_, appreciate my talents, you know!"

"Just get to the point, Pecker," Torn growled, taking over the role of peacemaker between the two animals in Jak's place, as the brokenhearted hero had returned his focus to Keira almost as soon as Pecker began translating.

"Ok, ok, don't rush me," the monkey-bird hybrid grumbled, leaning over the edge of Onin's headdress once more in order to observe her rapidly twirling fingers. "Anyway, Onin says young Keira's death occurred far too soon in her lifetime, and is a tragedy of epic proportions. She says that such things should never happen to one with so few years, but all might not be lost."

At this, Jak's head snapped up and his eyes zeroed in on Pecker, a faint glimmer of hope just managing to break through the endless misery darkening their cerulean depths.

"What do you mean?" he inquired cautiously, fighting to reign in the optimism that threatened to overcome him, so that he wouldn't set himself up for disappointment on top of everything else.

"What I mean is, there may be a way to bring Keira back," Pecker translated, deliberately lowering the pitch of his tone in an attempt to sound mysterious.

The words had hardly left Pecker's beak before Jak was on his feet, new energy surging through his limbs along with the hope that now sparkled like radiant starlight in his ocean irises. He stumbled a bit from both supporting Keira's weight and his own battered body protesting to the movement, but regained his balance again within a heartbeat.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he demanded, striding as quickly as his aching muscles would allow over to the booth where Onin and her loyal feathered companion resided. "If there's a way to save Keira, then do it!"

"Hold onto your eggs, hero-boy," Pecker scoffed, lifting up one finger to signal Jak to be patient — not that it did him much good. "Some of us don't take too kindly to, _aarrk_, being ordered around by the likes of you."

"Ah, put a sock in it, feather-breath," Daxter snorted from where he'd managed to remain clinging to Jak's shoulder guard despite the blonde's abrupt actions. "We're talking about _saving our best friend's life_, here. So excuse us for being a little eager!"

Pecker opened his mouth to fire a retort at the annoyed rodent, but a shower of blue sparks courtesy of Onin warned him to swallow whatever witty response he was about to unleash.

"Enough chitter-chatter," the moncaw huffed, obviously irked at having his argument with Daxter cut short. "Onin says there is an ancient Precursor ritual that has all but faded into the passage of time. The Precursors used this ritual to revive those that had deceased by unnatural causes, for they believed that a life ended by force was a life stolen."

"So how does it work, then?" Jak asked, tightening his grip on Keira's still figure subtly in an effort to control his growing edginess. If there was a chance that Onin could bring Keira back, he wanted it done as swiftly as possible, and Pecker's rambling was just holding up progress.

"The exact details are irrelevant, for Onin shall be performing those herself if you so desire to save Keira," Pecker informed the anxious elf, returning his focus to Onin as her hands began to wave about again. "Onin says the only thing she would require from you would be, _aarrk_, a small amount of Light Eco."

"Light Eco?" Jak echoed, his voice laced with dismay as a shadow of distress crossed over his bloodied features. "I don't even have enough of that stored up to heal myself, let alone bring someone back to life."

"Runnin' low on Eco, big guy?" Daxter piped up, his trademark grin splitting his face for the first time in several days. "Well, you let ol' Orange Lightning help you out with that!"

"Dax, what're you —" Jak began to ask, but Daxter was already leaping off of his shoulder and scurrying away down the back hall of the pub before he'd even finished his sentence.

"Daxxie and I have some extra Dark and Light Eco containers stocked up in the back rooms," Tess explained in the absence of her boyfriend, bounding over to the booth Onin still inhabited and hopping up onto the table. She smiled warmly up at Jak, thoroughly relieved now that they had some sort of plan in motion — as were the rest of the bar's occupants. "He said he wanted to have some on hand for you, just in case you ever needed it."

Jak blinked in surprise at the she-elf-turned-ottsel, and then he shook his head in awe, amazed that his partner-in-crime had actually thought ahead for once.

_Good ol' Daxter, always full of surprises._

Speak of the devil, Daxter reappeared at the entrance of the hallway a moment later, a jar of Light Eco that was nearly bigger than his head clasped tightly in his hands.

"Here ya go, Jakky-boy," the pants-clad rodent announced, hauling himself onto the table beside Tess and placing the Eco on the edge. "One ready-made dose of Light Eco, because I'm such a nice guy and all."

"Thanks, Dax," Jak replied appreciatively, waiting while his closest companion pried open the lid of the container. As soon as the jar was uncapped, the Eco inside began to gravitate towards Jak as if he were some kind of giant magnet. The warrior exhaled in a content sigh as the calming substance entered his bloodstream, a sense of tranquility washing over him as it worked to heal his wounds.

"Ok, now what?" Jak inquired as soon as his physical aches had ebbed, turning his attention back to Pecker.

"Onin says to transfer some of the Light Eco into Keira's body," Pecker recited without hesitating, flashing the elf in front of him a rare genuine smile. "The rest, you need not worry about. Onin shall take care of the more complicated matters."

"And you're sure this will bring Keira back?" Jak questioned warily, a trickle of skepticism twisting through the hope that burned like a wildfire in his chest, staining it.

"Positive," Pecker assured him, with a thumbs-up from Onin as though the elderly clairvoyant were confirming her assistant's statement. "She will be just as she was before her untimely demise."

Nodding once in affirmation, Jak let his eyelids fall shut, his breathing evening out as he focused on the stores of Eco remaining in his system. All emotion wiped itself clean from his features as he concentrated, pushing the Light essence to the forefront of his being.

_I just hope this works._

Suddenly, Jak's entire form was engulfed in a flash of blinding light, bathing the whole room in an unearthly glow. The brightness dimmed almost instantly, fading away to reveal Light Jak and all his angelic glory. His tendril-like wings waved lazily to some unheard rhythm, his radiance leaving everyone around him stunned into silence.

Eyes still closed, Jak mentally reached out to Keira's motionless form in his arms, expanding the range of his powers so that they enveloped her completely. He then began transporting some of his Eco energy to her through wherever their bodies touched, his muscles tensing under the weight of the psychological strain.

To everyone's amazement, — apart from Jak's, who was far too occupied to notice anything at the moment — even the severest of Keira's injuries started to mend themselves as the Light Eco interlaced with her lifeblood, leaving hardly a scar where gaping slashes had once been.

While Jak was engaged in his task, Onin commenced firing off a complex combination of gestures in rapid succession, her spindly fingers a whir of blue embers. Her sightless gaze never strayed from Keira as she signed, whilst Pecker mumbled what sounded like some sort of incantation in Ancient Precursorian under his breath.

No one was sure how much time had elapsed when, gradually, the glow surrounding both Jak and Keira began to dissipate, as did the miniature light show flickering off of Onin's hands. Within a few seconds, Jak's Light side had vanished entirely, leaving a slightly worn-out Jak in its place. Onin had ceased her actions as well, and Pecker's mutterings had silenced, leaving the atmosphere around the little group almost deathly quiet.

"It is done," Pecker said simply, folding his wings at his sides and watching Keira's lifeless figure expectantly, as was everyone else present.

_Why isn't anything happening?_ Jak wondered desperately, biting his lip and praying to any higher power that may have been listening that Onin's mystical whatever-it-was had done its job.

Just when Jak was sure he would explode from the tension that crackled around him like lightning, a soft gasp caught his attention. His eyes widened infinitesimally as Keira's chest began rising and falling faintly, cool air brushing against his neck as soft breath passed through her parted lips.

A smile of pure relief and joy spread across Jak's face as Keira's eyelids fluttered, slowly opening fully to reveal the endless green gaze that the blonde hero had thought he'd never see again.

"…Jak?" Keira whispered uncertainly, her eyebrows furrowing in obvious bewilderment. Her voice was surprisingly strong for someone who'd been dead for several hours, but right now that was the absolute last thing on Jak's mind.

"Keira," Jak answered her almost dazedly, beaming so widely his cheeks were beginning to hurt as color bleached its way into Keira's skin.

"Where am I?" Keira asked, glancing around herself confusedly. She spotted Daxter and the others all staring at her wearing similar dumbstruck expressions, only serving to heighten her mystification. "And why are you all looking at me like I've turned into a three-headed yakow?"

"Well, Keira, baby," Daxter piped up from where he stood on the end of the table, his arms crossed as he beamed up at the mechanic. "You've been dead for about half of the day, and our pal Jak here just brought you back to the living."

"_What_?" Keira gasped, her mouth falling open with disbelief and earning herself a few chuckles from her spectators.

"I'll explain later," Jak laughed, unable to contain his delight as he set Keira carefully down on her feet. She wobbled for an instant, but before she'd had time to properly right herself, Jak pulled her into an embrace, burying his face in her sapphire hair.

"Welcome back, Keira," Ashelin added from where she still remained at Torn's side, her own usually hard features graced with a euphoric smile. Torn didn't speak, but he too allowed himself a small grin, content to be a part of the moment without drawing attention to himself.

Without warning, a streak of orange and yellow darted out of the booth that Onin seemed to have claimed as her permanent spot, colliding with Keira's shin and nearly knocking the she-elf off-balance again.

"Keira, don't you ever do that to me again!" Tess mock-scolded her much taller friend, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around Keira's leg. "I thought we'd lost you!"

"Well, I'm still here, so I wouldn't worry about that, Tess," Keira giggled, dismissing her puzzlement for the time being. Jak reluctantly released his hold on her as she bent down to scratch the female ottsel behind her ears.

"Keira."

The sound of her name caught her attention, and Keira straightened up once more to find herself face-to-face — figuratively speaking — with her father. The Green Sage was beaming from ear-to-ear, an expression that looked a bit out of place on his normally stern visage.

"Thank the Precursors you're alright," Samos muttered, grabbing his daughter by the wrist and yanking her in for a somewhat lopsided hug, considering he was at least two heads shorter than her.

Rather than respond verbally, Keira simply returned her father's embrace, glad that whatever tragedy seemed to have happened to her was over.

As soon as Samos backed away from Keira, Jak wound his arms around her once again, pulling her flush against his body. He felt himself drowning in two never-ending pools of emerald as his gaze bored into hers.

"I love you, Keira," he breathed, so quietly that only she would be able to hear him.

"I love you, too," Keira responded just as softly, trailing her fingertips up his spine and draping her arms around his neck when she reached it.

With no consideration whatsoever for the fact that all of his companions were watching him, Jak bent his face to the level of Keira's and kissed her. His mind broke out into a private victory dance the second his lips touched hers, and he clutched her thin frame more firmly to his chest, relishing the feel of just having her in his arms again.

Several wolf-whistles and cat-calls rang out as Jak and Keira's kiss got more heated, but the couple paid them no heed. Only when Daxter's loud exclamation of "Get a room!" rose above the clamor did they part, Keira's cheeks flushed a bit with embarrassment as they turned to their audience.

"Sheesh, and to think that not four days ago you two acted like a couple of spooked crocadogs whenever you saw one another!" Daxter sighed overdramatically, waving his hand vaguely in Jak and Keira's general directions. "Amazing what a little alone time in a forest can do to ya, ain't it?"

Jak just rolled his eyes at his sidekick, resting his chin on the top of Keira's head and listening to Daxter continue to ramble on. In that one moment, a swarm of Metal Heads could have laid waste to the city outside of the Naughty Ottsel and he wouldn't have cared less. His girlfriend was safe, his friends were joking and laughing around him, and his future was looking just a bit brighter.

_Life is good._

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**JKA: Honestly, I strongly dislike how the first half of this chapter turned out. I could have started it so many other ways, but I thought of those much later and by then it was too late to change it, lest I'd wanted to rewrite the whole chapter. :P Also, I apologize if you spotted any mistakes/choppiness in flow, etc. I didn't edit this one as much as I usually do. :/**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it, and I shall see you in half an hour with the epilogue.**


	14. Epilogue

**JKA: Aaaaand we're back! :) Now don't think just because I've given you all two chapters you can skip out on reviewing chapter 13. ;) Usual disclaimers apply. Enjoy the epilogue, guys, and I shall see you at the end of this madness.**

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**Epilogue**

Jak leaned back against the leather bench of one of the Naughty Ottsel's booths, watching the mayhem — led by Daxter, of course — ensue around him with an amused gleam in his eyes. Keira was nestled comfortably in his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck and his arm slung loosely about her waist.

Outside the pub, the sun was just beginning to set over the walls of the port, casting its fiery glow over the city for the first time since before the blizzard had struck. The sky was bleached scarlet by its dying rays, outlining the resilient form of a certain giant mechanical ottsel, along with the wreckage that had once been a sleigh and reindeer at its feet.

Now that the last several days of fear and grief were behind them, the group of friends and petty enemies had finally decided to celebrate the Christmas holiday. They had exchanged gifts with one another earlier that evening, and now they were simply enjoying each other's company — not to mention the endless supply of drinks that Daxter so readily provided.

Currently, Tess and Daxter were seated on the edge of the counter at the far side of the room, the former admiring the ottsel-sized combat boots and racing jacket her boyfriend had given her. Daxter, meanwhile, was toying with the miniature morph-gun he'd received from Tess; evidently she hadn't thought of the destruction such a weapon could cause in Daxter's hands, most of which would probably be self-inflicted.

Across the bar, Torn and Ashelin were locked in a heated kiss after having gotten caught beneath a bushel of mistletoe. Clearly the two of them had had a little too much to drink, for they'd been going at it for a number of minutes and didn't seem to care that they were in plain view of everyone else.

Nearby the intoxicated couple, Samos was having a much more civilized chat with Onin and Pecker. Jak couldn't hear what they were saying to one another from where he and Keira were sitting, but he really wasn't interested in their conversation in the first place.

A quiet sigh caught the warrior's attention, and he glanced curiously down at Keira, only to find himself mesmerized by a pair of sparkling emerald irises.

"It's nice to be home, isn't it?" Keira asked cheerfully, giggling as Daxter hopped to his feet on the bar, bursting into a loud and drunken chorus of "Silent Night".

"You mean you'd rather listen to _that_ than wander through the forest with me?" Jak teased, jerking his thumb in the direction of the inebriated ottsel and smirking mischievously.

"Well, maybe if it was a little warmer outside," Keira amended, elbowing him in the ribs playfully.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Daxter called suddenly, drawing the notice of his two closest companions. He began to walk towards Jak and Keira, forgetting that he wasn't quite level with the ground; he was reminded forcefully of that fact when his face had a rather hard meeting with the metal floor.

The orange rodent popped back up almost instantly, scarcely phased by his less-than-graceful dismount. He swayed more than walked over to where Jak and Keira waited, their expressions radiating mirth.

"You ok there, Dax?" Jak chuckled, shaking his head in exasperation as his partner-in-crime leapt up towards the edge of the booth's table. After a moment's struggle — complete with flailing legs and grunts of exertion — he was able to haul himself up onto its glossy surface.

"Course I'm, _hic_, ok," Daxter slurred, flopping rather clumsily onto his backside and fixing Jak with a slightly cross-eyed scowl. "I'm jus' fine and dandy, so mind, _hic_, mind yer own busy-ness, Jakky-boy."

"If you say so," Jak snorted incredulously, rolling his eyes at Keira, who nodded mutely in agreement.

"Anywaaaay, I got a question fer the both of ya," Daxter continued as if Jak hadn't spoken, his unconvincing glower abruptly shifting into a lopsided grin. "Jus' what did, _hic_, you two get up to out in the, _hic_, the forest?"

At those words, Jak and Keira blanched simultaneously, exchanging a fleeting look of panic. If there was one person that they definitely _did not_ want to know about the things they'd done in Haven Forest, it was Daxter. When it came to the self-proclaimed Orange Lightning, just one slip-up on Jak and Keira's part would lead to the entire city's population hearing about their love life by nightfall.

"What do you mean?" Keira hedged, biting her lip awkwardly and attempting to fix an innocent look on her features.

"Oh, you know 'xactly what I, _hic_, mean," Daxter chortled, with a very obvious wink in Jak's direction. "Ya can't sit there and tell, _hic_, tell me that nothin' happened between you guys."

"And what makes you think that?" Jak demanded, glaring at the pants-clad ottsel in hopes that the latter would get discouraged if he thought he was making the short-tempered hero angry.

"Are you kiddin'?" Daxter scoffed, waving his hand broadly towards the duo seated before him. Obviously Jak's efforts to spare his and Keira's sanity were in vain. "Have ya _seen_ the way you two are, _hic_, actin' around each other? Somethin' musta gone on, cuz otherwise you'd probably, _hic,_ probably be on opposite ends of the room right about now."

_He's got a point,_ Jak pondered grudgingly, realizing that what Daxter said was true. Before they'd ended up stranded in the woods, Jak and Keira had acted skittish and uncomfortable whenever they were within eyeshot of one another — the polar opposite of how they were behaving now.

Heaving a sigh, Jak turned to his girlfriend, an irritated frown tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Should we tell him?" he asked under his breath, his gaze flickering to Daxter to make sure the rodent hadn't overheard. It turned out the precaution really wasn't necessary, for Daxter had begun humming to himself and didn't appear to be listening to his friends, at any rate.

"I suppose," Keira surrendered reluctantly, looking none-too-thrilled about doing so. "You know he's just going to keep pestering us until we do, drunk or not."

"You're right," Jak muttered, unwillingly returning his focus to his intoxicated sidekick. "Fine, Dax, do you really want to know what happened between Keira and me out there?"

Daxter blinked in confusion at the blonde elf for a second, as though he'd forgotten what Jak was talking about. Then a glimmer of recognition flashed in his cloudy eyes, and he beamed triumphantly.

"Ha, so you _did_ do something together!" he exclaimed, scrambling to his feet again and bouncing excitedly in place. "I knew it! Nothin' gets, _hic_, gets past Orange Lightning! Nope! Nadda! Zippo! Nuh uh! No, no, no, _no_, no —"

"Dax!" Jak cut off his much shorter companion's rambling impatiently, his tolerance level wearing extremely thin. "Do you want to hear about it or not?"

Clamping his mouth shut instantly, Daxter nodded vigorously, his sky-blue irises alight with enthusiasm. Skipping over to Jak, he leaned in so that the three-time world-savior could whisper in his ear.

A heartbeat of stillness passed, and then the saloon suddenly exploded with the force of an earth-shattering yell, courtesy of one two-foot-tall orange ottsel.

"WHADDA YA MEAN YOU TWO HAD SEX?"

If there had ever been a more punctuated silence in history… no, there had never been a more punctuated silence than the one that followed Daxter's unexpected outburst.

In that solitary moment, there were only a few things that registered in Jak's mind. One was the fact that everyone was staring at him and Keira. The other was that Samos looked as if someone had just clubbed him over the head with a morph-gun, knocked the wind out of him, kicked him in the groin, and destroyed an entire jungle's worth of plants all in one go.

"Um…" Jak stammered, frantically wracking his brains for some way to salvage the situation, and coming up blank.

_Gee, thanks for announcing it to the world, Dax._

Thankfully, he was spared the burden of having to find an explanation for Daxter's shout by Keira, who grabbed his hand and practically yanked him out of the booth.

"We'll be right back," she announced quickly, nearly stumbling over her words as she dragged Jak across the bar and out the front door as swiftly as her legs would carry her.

Just before the entrance slid shut behind the pair, another bellow reverberated throughout the pub's interior, no doubt coming from a very angry little green man.

"They did WHAT?"

Keira ignored her father's outraged question as she towed Jak over to the edge of the port strip, her winter boots leaving deep imprints in the snow. She released his fingers and took a seat, her feet dangling lazily over the side, not caring about the dampness of the chilled ground beneath her. Her boyfriend automatically claimed the spot beside her, allowing her to lean her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think he'll let us live if we go back in there?" Keira inquired calmly, a smirk gracing her soft features as she watched the sun gradually sinking below the horizon.

"I doubt it," Jak snorted, his arm snaking its way around Keira's waist as he rested his cheek against her hair. "We'll be lucky if he doesn't storm out here after us."

"You're probably right," Keira giggled, snuggling more securely into his half-embrace. She paused for a moment, and then glanced up at him, her emerald eyes shimmering in the vibrant glow of the sunset.

"Hey, Jak?"

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

_It is at once a gift and a burden, a blessing and a curse. From it stems both happiness and grief, for there can never be pleasure without pain. It is the most fragile of forces, and yet nothing can ever hope to conquer it. No amount of searching can find it, and yet it is always there, waiting to be discovered. That… is love._

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**JKA: *sniff* It's done! Finito! Finised! I'm honestly sad to see this story come to its end. It was a lot of fun to write. But the good part about taking seven months to complete it is now we've got Christmas in July. XD**

**Oh, and you see that paragraph at the bottom? Yeah, the one right there? I made that up. :) Nope, not a quote, just pure JKA. So don't steal it unless you ask me first. :D**

**Gotta give a big shout-out to everyone who reviewed throughout this story: Fire-Eco-Sage (my fantasy world little sister :D), Adam Hardy, Dark-Eco-Wolf, sock monkeys, littleLaralevin, Fishyicon, THE REPO MAN, Azeres, JakMartheDarkWarrior, DEMONHEART002, Ecomadness, Blinkdawg, Pureawesomeness123, and anyone else I may have missed. You guys are what kept me inspired to keep writing.**

**Very, VERY special thanks to two of my favorite people ever: the lovely miss MikaHaeli8, and the wonderful marneus90. You two just... gah, I love you guys. Really. 3 There's nothin' more to it.**

**Anyway, I suppose it's bye for now everyone. But I will definitely still be around, I've got about a million ideas just waiting to be written and posted. So keep an eye out for those, but for now, JKA over and out!**


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